Salvation: A Half Life Mass Effect Crossover Story
by Jesse De La Rosa
Summary: After Gordon Freeman is allegedly killed by the Combine, Earth enters a new technological Golden Age. Until 179 years later, when galactic civilization is threatened once more. A threat that only Earth's two greatest heroes can stop.
1. Chapter 1: Vengeful Lament

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

disclaimer: this fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 1: Vengeful Lament**

It didn't take long for the tears to well up in her eyes, as she wept over her now lifeless father. "Dad! Oh god! dad!... dad!"

Despite all the lives he had seen lost to this accursed rebellion, none had pained the armor clad figure beside her more than this... So desperately he wanted, at that moment, to give her the comfort she needed. But nothing he could do or say would bring back her father, and his dear friend.

"Oh my god... dad... please... don't leave me..." She begged in a whimpering voice, as her tears flooded out, onto him.

As she lamented over her fallen father, the armored figure beside her stood up, while the other refugee's of White Forrest quickly began to pour into the hangar, with their weapons drawn.

"What happened?" "Oh my god, Eli!" "They got Eli!" "Whats going on?" "Who did this?" "What happened?" The voices filled the air, as they immediately took notice of tragic scene, but to him he may as well have been listening to a deafening silence.

He leaned over Alyx, and all he could think to do at that moment was to place one gloved hand on her shoulder as she wept. And suddenly without thought or hesitation she stood up and embraced him closely.

"Oh Gordon...! Gordon, hes gone... hes gone." Her embrace shocked him a bit at first but it didn't take more than a second for him to reciprocate... He opened his mouth as if to say something... but he didn't have the words. Instead he simply stopped and held her tight and close.

It gave her the solace that she needed, atleast for a moment, as some of the other refugees now began to gather around Eli's body and mourn his tragic loss. Tears flowed throughout the room, as a dark silence overcame everyone, and all that could be heard were the sighs and sniffles of the mournful, heartbroken crowd.

"Eli... No!" Came a familiar voice, as Gordon saw his former mentor emerge from the crowd of woeful refugees that had enveloped him. "Oh no! Eli..." He uttered, in an anguished voice, as he dropped to his knees beside the body of his lifeless friend.

"He's gone Dr. Kleiner... he's gone." Alyx replied, with her eyes shut and her arms still tightly wrapped around Gordon. As she said it, she began to tremble and weep uncontrollably again, as a large knot swelled in Gordon's throat as well, and twin tear drops rolled down his cheeks.

"Eli... You... you were always the best of us old friend, I'm so sorry." Dr. Isaac Kleiner said mournfully, as he released a long drawn-out sigh...

"Alyx, my dear - what happened? Are you alright?" He beckoned, as he stood up and walked toward the grieving daughter.

Slowly letting go of Gordon's embrace she turned to him and replied "I'm not injured, but..." A look of despair overtook her face once again and tears began to roll down her cheeks, as now Dr. Kleiner was the one that quickly rushed in and embraced her "I know, I know, its alright my dear, I'm so very sorry..."

As a white sheet was drawn over Dr. Eli Vance, Gordon simply stood there for a moment, looking down at the puddle of blood spilling out from under the crimson soaked cloth.

"Come my dear, come with me, I'll get you some tea. It'll help calm you down... There there..." Gordon heard Dr. Kleiner say as he and Alyx slowly walked out of the hangar. But he stood there... Even as they began to lift his fallen friend, the man who felt more like a father and a mentor, off the ground and remove him to await his final rest, he stood there...

His jade, green eyes stared blankly into the large hole in the wall made by those that had done this. He saw it play over and over again in his mind... Him, slammed up against the wall, and pinned there like a worm awaiting disection... Something had frozen his entire body in place. Despite how hard he tried, he could not move, he could do nothing... nothing but bare witness...

He saw it stick that... that damned proboscis like appendage into the back of Dr. Vance's head, and he was absolutely powerless to do anything. Despite all his strength, despite all he had accomplished to this point, despite every blow he had struck... He was helpless when it really mattered. It played in his head, over and over. Each time he saw the image in his mind, it grew more vivid than the last. He relived every horrific moment.

Then he saw them take her... "Gordon!" She yelled in horror as they were about to drive that same damn thing into her... And he... he would have been helpless.

"If it wasn't for Dog..." he thought to himself "She would have..." Suddenly he stopped... he stopped reliving the experience, and it stopped playing in his head as he realized... how close he came to losing her... A sudden clarity fell over his thoughts. He understood now just what she had come to mean to him.

Just then, a new thought began brewing in his labyrinthine mind... Not only had they murdered one of his oldest and dearest friends, and the only man he had left on this ruined Earth he felt he could look up to as a father... But they came so very close to taking away the one person in this world who he now knew mattered more to him than anyone, or anything else. The woman who mattered more to him than life itself - his own or otherwise. The thought began to cycle in his mind, over and again. He could feel his own fist clench and his chest and brow thighten with anger.

"Doctor Freeman?" Came a voice from one of the few refugees remaining in the hangar. "Are you alright?"

But no response came.

"Uh... Doc?"

Just then, with a rapid jerk, he turned and marched with a purpose, out of the hangar, the way the three of them had come in. Up to now he had been fighting for survival, liberation, freedom... But now only one thing drove him, only one thing was on his thoughts... Vengeance.

Gordon Gordon stepped into the elevator platform, and slammed his closed fist against the up button, forcing the door to shut behind him, and the lift to slowly ascend.

"Wait! Doctor Freeman, where are you go..." The bewildered refugee below couldn't even finish his sentence before the lift's door slid open, and Freeman was out the door.

Gordon began making his way toward the car garage, where his jaded yellow 1969 Dodge Charger awaited him for yet another ride into the impending doom of the Combines hands. He passed through the stream of humanity coming and going with little regard for them, nearly knocking over two citizens and shoving a third into a nearby wall. Each of them stopped and looked at him with disarray and inquiry as to where he was going.

"What the hell's his problem?" asked one of the refugees to one that nearly had a close encounter with the floor on Gordon's way out.

"I have no idea, but did you see that look in his eyes? I'm not gonna be the one to try and stop him, be my guest." The other one snickered as they all continued to look at the cold, calculating man now entering the garage.

Resolute, he gave the room a quick scan before spotting his car on the other side of some stacked tires, and a couple of worn out tool chests. He didn't say one word to anyone in the room, as his steadfast steps carried him to his allegiant vehicle. The air around the entire compound was still heavy with the lament and sorrow of what had just transpired. All around him tears ran, and people leaned up against the walls looking downward at the floor with a grimace.

As he climbed into his vehicle; a relic of a better time, but one that had now seen far worse than most ever would, he couldn't help but stop for a moment and think about the great loss that now burdened his heart. But only for a moment, before the seething anger that now blinded his actions returned.

A single rebel, dressed in blue resistance fatigues reluctantly approached his car. "Uhm... Doctor Freeman, are you going somewhere?"

Gordon said nothing as he cranked the key, igniting the engine.

"Doc, where are you going?" Inquired the same refugee, a look of concern now overtaking his face.

Gordon once again remained silent as he began to gas the engine, causing the car to let forth a fusillade of furious roars, seemingly now sharing his appetite for revenge.

"Wait Free Man." A heavy, raspy voice called out to him, resounding with wisdom and sagacity, as a slick skinned alien approached his car. "I know what drives you Free Man. You seek now to rend the cords of those who have taken something most dear from you."

With his hands resting firmly on the wheel of the car, Gordon took great care to heed everything the vortigaunt said, for theirs was the wisdom of eternity and the cosmos, but even then, very little could sway him from what he vowed to do.

"But be not imprudent in your actions Free Man." The vortigaunt continued. "For even us, that have endured these binding shackles for generations have taken great care not to rush blindly into the fires of our enemies. The lesser master lays defeated, we know the greater will also fall in time. And even though many of our own kin lay scattered at your feet, we embrace you as sib."

Gordon's grip on the wheel loosened slightly. "Think well on your actions now Free Man, where to now? And to what end?" The vortigaunt's words echoed with acumen and clarity, and were successful in making the Free Man reconsider his plan of action, but only for a moment...

Gordon released a long overdue sigh while looking down through his steering wheel... "Open the gate..." He ordered with a scowl on his face that embodied a plethora of anger, hatred, remorse, sorrow, and fear...

"Very well Free Man." spoke the vort with obvious disapproval and concern. "Then may the Vortessence guide you on your journey, Chalam baugk go'rel a ragm." The vortigaunt slowly turned and stepped away as the heavy steel gate to White Forrest slowly slid open.

He did a quick check of the dashboard display to make sure he had enough fuel. The meter marked just under "F" more than enough. His gloved hands tightly gripped the wheel and his eyes stared outward into the night as he readied himself for the next obstacle he would face. The mechanical screech of the opening gate stopped with a bang, revealing that the gate was now fully open.

"If none of us can stop ya, then be careful out there Doc. Come back safe and give 'em hell for Eli!" exclaimed the nearby gate operator.

Gordon turned slightly to her saying nothing but acknowledging her with a very slight nod. He released one hand from the wheel and grasped the gearshift, taking it out of park. And with the screech of burning tires, and the roar of a V8 engine, he bolted off into the falling darkness...


	2. Chapter 2: Have You Seen Gordon?

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

disclaimer: this fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 2: Have You Seen Gordon?**

"Here you go my dear, this should help calm your nerves, but be careful its hot." Dr. Kleiner handed the cup of warm English Tea to Alyx who was sitting on a couch wiping away her tears and trying to keep more from coming.

"Thank you Dr. Kleiner." She said forcing a smile. He gently sat down next to her as she took a tiny sip, testing the temperature of the tea with her upper lip before taking it in.

"Alyx... I can't tell you how sorry I am, truly. Eli and I... You know he used to tell me whenever we'd sit down to lunch at Black Mesa what a vivacious young lady you were. So lively and courageous sometimes too much so for your own good."

Alyx, looking downward at the cup of Tea she had grasped into her lap, let out a small chuckle, one that wasn't forced. A smile accompanied by a sniffle and a tear.

"Yes." Dr. Kleiner continued. "He used to tell me how you would sometimes sneak out of your dormitories and go off and delve into the faciltiy looking for adventure." He looked over at Alyx with a smile. "Why, he once told me he found you crawling in the air ducts that lead to the rocket test chamber. He was so worried you would get hurt, but despite his and your mothers every precaucion, you were just to adventurous for them to stop you."

Alyx laughed. "Yeah he would always get after me whenever he caught me out of the dorms, but after he scolded me he would always take me to the food court and buy me some ice cream and he'd have his talk with me about how if anything ever happened to me..." As the image of her father came flooding back to her head so did the moue on her expression. Isaac gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You know my dear, despite the obvious concern for your safety - he would always tell me how very proud he was of you, proud of your curiousity, your adventurous nature, and indominable spirit. Most of which I do believe you got from him."

"Heh..." Alyx tittered slightly after taking another sip of her now temperate tea. "It's funny, someone once told me I had my mother's eyes, but my father's stubborn nature." Alyx sighed heavily. "I'm gonna miss him." she closed her eyes forcing two tears to stream out.

"I know my dear, I know." Dr. Kleiner said as he leaned toward her to embrace her. "I am too..."

"Thank you, Dr. Kleiner." Alyx expressed her gratitude as they slowly released eachother. "I feel a bit better now." She said as she gently wiped the drying tears from her eyes. "I just can't believe that he's really gone."

A despondent silence filled the room momentarily as Dr. Kleiner clenched his lips before speaking. "But he's never really gone my dear. You'll keep him in your memories and thus he will stay with you always. Why I remember after Black Mesa" He exclaimed as he stood up with one finger pointed upward in the usual Kleiner fashion. "and after the Seven Hours War, it was your father who took the first stand in this struggle against the Combine. Why, Gordon may be the driving force behind the resistance, and quite a driving force at that. But there would be no resistance had it not been for your father."

Alyx listened as she toyed with the tag at the end of the teabag string hanging out of the nearly empty cup. "I know, and I... Gordon!" she gasped briefly before continuing as she stood up from the couch. "I forgot about Gordon! After all that happened I just rushed out of the hangar and left him there, he was with me the whole time as it happened. He must be pretty shaken up too, I'd better go see if he's alright!"

Isaac looked at Alyx with a smile. "Calm down Alyx, I'm sure Gordon is fine, probably helping the others secure the compound. Besides I doubt there is much that can shake Gordon up."

"You're probably right" Alyx replied "But I should still go and find him and let him know that I'm alright." She said as she walked towards the door.

Opening the door she came face to face with a familiar figure, wearing a teal lab coat, on the other side reaching for the nob.

"Oh!" exclaimed the cantankerous Dr. Magnusson. "Excuse me Alyx, I was coming to uh... give my condolences. I just heard what happened."

Alyx smiled warmly as she replied. "Thank you Doct..."

"Of course I would be the last to know in this monkey farm of a facilty." Magnusson quickly interjected before Alyx had a chance to finish relaying her thanks.

"Well... Thank you Doc..."

"I see people running rampant left and right and as far as I know its just business as usual around here. No one bothers to come and tell me whats happened, no one even bothers to tell me that there was a breech. It's absolutely absurd."

Alyx paused for a bit, as the frustration on Magnusson's face seemed to slowly pass, before she attempted to speak again. "Well, thank you Dr. Magnusson. I appreciate your... concern. It means alo..."

"You know one thing we can be thankful for at least is that those horrid beasts didn't get me, because then this whole opperation would be lost."

A sudden flush look overcame Alyx's face as she gazed in utter shock over the abhorrent words spilling from this beastly old man's mouth.

"For all we know, it was me they were after... We certainly dodged a bullet this time."

The flush look on Alyx's face quickly turned to one of outrage. "Why you miserable son of a..." Alyx exclaimed with a hard gaze of pure indignation at the crotchety old figure before her, before being stopped abruptly.

"Now now! Alyx dear, lets calm down." Dr. Kleiner pleaded in panic as he attempted to restrain the seething young woman. "Please, Alyx, please... Allow me..."

Alyx turned and walked back into the room in a huff, as Kleiner turned to come face to face with Magnusson as he cleared his throat.

"Now see here Magnusson! How dare you come in here and make a mockery over Eli's tragic death." Magnusson looked at Kleiner with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Mockery? Why I was simply..."

"I'm not finished Magnusson!" Kleiner asserted as he continued his lecture. "For years I have held my tongue as you have repeatedly and barbarously belittled, and berated, anyone who would dare not share your opinion on something."

"But I..." Magnusson attempted to get a word in edgewise, fruitlessly.

"I'm still not finished Magnusson!" Kleiner continued. "And as if that weren't bad enough, you constantly and consistently hold yourself in such high regard, more often than not taking credit and acclaim for actions that weren't your own!"

"Well perhaps I..." said Magnusson in an unavailing attempt to defend himself before being cut off yet again.

"And another thing! If it weren't for Eli, niether of us would be here. I seem to remember a certain colleage of ours at Black Mesa cowering in a dumpster. Eli and I practically had to pry you out kicking and screaming like the coward you are. Why Eli decided to pull you out of that dumpster, only to endure your incessant complaining and whining the entire time we tried to escape, is beyond me."

Magnusson simply stood there for a moment, with a look of bewilderment after the harsh admonishment he received.

"Now... I believe you owe Ms. Vance an appology Magnusson." Kleiner turned and stepped aside revealing Alyx standing behind him, with her arms crossed and a slight snicker on her face.

"Uh... I uh..." stuttered Magnusson as he attempted to get a grasp on what just happened. "Uh... Yes! Of course... Alyx my dear, I do sincerely appologize. I suppose the uh... shock of... of the situation just got to me. Once again, my condolences and... my appologies." Magnusson looked at Kleiner as if searching for his approval. Kleiner, then giving it with a belittling nod.

"Right!" continued Magnusson. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, I must... take my leave, there is work to be done after all... Alyx, Kleiner..."

"Magnusson" replied Isaac as Magnusson dashed off in a hurry.

"Hmph..." exhaled Isaac in a heave, as he straighted out his labcoat, before turning to Alyx who was looking at him with a smile from ear to ear. "I do appologize my dear, I wish you didn't have to see that..."

Alyx chuckled slightly. "Oh no, please by all means don't appologize Dr. Kleiner." She said putting a hand up in a halt position to stop Isaac from continuing his appology. "Its about time someone put Dr. Magnusson in his place, I never saw that side of you! I like it." she said as she smiled at him. "I never knew you had it in you."

"Well..." Kleiner began, mildly embarrassed and showing signs of blushing. "Magnusson and I go way back, so I know how much of a, pardon the expression, horse's ass he can be. And considering all thats happened, now was no time for him to start with his pompous buffoonery. But you know I must say, if I don't speak out of turn; that felt... good. Quite good infact!" Kleiner exclaimed as he cracked a small prideful smile. "I may have to do this more often."

Alyx laughed. "Well Magnusson knows you got a mean streak now so go easy on 'em ok."

"Right you are!" responded Isaac.

"Well I'm gonna go find Gordon, and see how hes doing. I'll catch up with you later Dr. Kleiner."

"Of course my dear." Replied Isaac. "Will you be alright...?" He inquired, the concerned look returning to his face.

The question, bringing the gravity of her fathers death rushing back, placed a sorrowful look back on Alyx's expression. She responded as she put her head down, starring towards the floor.

"Yeah... I'll be alright." She said as felt the unpleasant knot in her throat return as she made every effort to try to gulp it back down. "Time heals all wounds I suppose..." She stated as she looked back up at Dr. Kleiner exhibiting a small forced smile, to show that she was well.

Isaac slowly reached to take one of Alyx's hands which were locked together, hanging down at her stomach. He took her right hand with his left, and gently clasped it between both his hands.

"You know my dear" He paused momentarily, "You also have your fathers strength." He said softly to her.

"Thank you..." she replied in almost a whisper as water began to glaze over her eyes once again, before swallowing back down the lump in her throat and using her free hand to wipe her eyes before they could produce tears.

"I'll be ok Dr. Kleiner." She assured him. "Don't worry."

Isaac nodded as he released her hand. "You know where to find me if you need me my dear. Give Gordon my regards when you find him."

"I will" She said softly as she turned away from him and began walking slowly down the corridor, looking back at him ever so slightly over her shoulder before turning her attention fully toward the direction she was headed.

As she walked away Isaac stood there for a moment, studying her as she continued down the long corridor. He never had children of his own, he was always too busy. Busy professing... Busy with his research... Busy at Black Mesa. But he always thought there'd be more time. Even despite the fact that he was well into his 50s before the resonance cascade at Black Mesa, he always remained optimistic that there'd be more time.

But since then... since the Combine tore open the hole in space-time and poured through in greater and greater number, any notion of children and family had long since dwindled in his mind. But somehow, it no longer mattered.

As he and his now fallen colleague secretly made plans to strike back against the alien oppressors, he watched this curious little girl blossom into a woman under the harshest of conditions. He grew to care about her as any parent would care about their children. As she grew up and began to sneak out to explore the canals of CIty 17 on her own, he could never help but feel the concern and dread that any parent would. And when she'd return from her adventures in the subjegated downtrodden city, rather than admonish her, he'd embrace her; telling her how happy he was to see her again and how worried she had him.

He remembered how she used to love to play with Llamar when she was little more than a headshrimp. The memory brought a smile to his face as he...

"Wait a minute..." He changed his train of thought abruptly. "Llamar...! Blast that little, where has she gotten to now?" He thought to himself when he realized that he hadn't seen his faithful headcrab companion since Gordon and Alyx arrived at White Forest.

"Oh Fiddlesticks!" He exclaimed outloud as he turned and walked down the corridor in the opposite direction.

"Llamar! Llamar!" He shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth as he marched down the hallway trying to coax the mischievious parasite from whatever nook or cranny she may have gotten into this time.

"Excuse me!" Alyx shouted down the narrow corridor, to get the attention of the tall slender refugee, grasping a submachine gun in his hands, who was on compound patrol.

He was dressed in standard rebel garb consisting of an old ski cap, a tattatered padded grey shirt, with an armband on it exhibiting the lambda symbol, and some faded jeans that were ripped at the knee and had obviously seen better days. His attention grabbed; he stopped and turned to face her.

"Oh Ms. Vance, its you." He acknowledged. "What can I do for you?"

Alyx took a brief look around the corridor on the off chance she may be able to spot Gordon and not need the help of the man before her. This proved futile however.

"Hi, uhm. You haven't seen Gordon around have you? I can't seem to find him."

"Dr. Freeman? Hmm..." The unnamed refugee turned his eyes upward as he scanned his memory trying to recollect where or if he had seen Gordon at all. "Nope, I ain't seen 'em myself. But I seem to remember Ben tellin' me he was headin' into the car garage. Said he looked pretty pissed-off too if memory serves me right."

"The garage?" Alyx thought to herself. "Why would he be going there?"

"You're sure he said he was going to the garage?" Alyx inquired outloud with a bit of bewilderment on her face. He took another moment to make sure his memory wasn't playing tricks on him before reassuring himself and Alyx that he had remembered correctly.

"Yep, pretty sure. Ben said he he almost trampled a couple'o poor bastards on his way out. Said he ain't ever seen the doc like that. No one knew where he was goin' but damned if anyone was gonna try to stop 'em."

Alyx pondered what possible motives Gordon would have for going into the garage, unless...

"Uh, Ms. Vance." Interjected the tattered refugee, interrupting her thoughts in the process. "I just wanted to say I uhm... I'm sorry about your pop, you know. He was a good man."

Alyx was touched by his sentiment, but was at an utter loss for his name. "Thank you, uh..." She smiled politely and paused for a moment allowing him time to fill in the blank.

"Mitchell..." He added, as expected.

"Thank you Mitchell" She remarked with a tender smile. "It means alot to me."

"Yeah..." He responded, looking away from her and touching the back of his neck nervously. Obviously a man not readily open to showing emotion. "Well I better get back to my patrol or Magnusson will have my ass in a sling. Hope you find the Doc Ms. Vance." Nodding as he casually walked away.

"What would Gordon be doing in the garage?" Alyx thought to herself as she turned a corner, heading in that general direction. So focused on her thoughts of finding Gordon she didn't even notice an old friend, as she walked right by him in a rush.

"Hey you..." An all too familiar voice made her eyes light up as she quickly turned to confirm who she thought she had heard.

It was a slender figure, of about average height. He had feathered hair and a rugged face with a prominent five o'clock shadow, clad in dark clothing similar to that of the other rebels, but somehow distinguishing him apart from them as well.

"Barney!" She quickly exclaimed as she rushed over to hug him. "I was wondering where you've been, how are you?"

"Oh, you know, I've been around." He said while still holding her before she slowly pulled away.

"Where have you been? Gordon and I haven't seen you at all since we arrived at White Forest."

"Yeah, well I wasn't here." He responded. "I was out on survivor detail along with some of the others. Once the portal storms started, some of the survivors en route here got scattered. So Eli sent me out to make sure everyone got here alright."

A sudden change in his expression revealed that he had already known what happened with her father. "But then I received a transmission... thats when I heard what happened with your Dad."

The forlorn look returned once more to Alyx's face as she crossed her arms and looked downard, clenching her lips. The urge to cry beckoned her but she was able to hold it back this time.

"How are you holding up?" He asked with genuine concern in his voice and upon his expression.

"Hangin' in there I suppose... I'm doin' better now, but its hard." She responded softly, being cautious not to allow herself to get too swept up in her own emotions.

"Of course it is... Hey..." He approached her slowly. Gently he placed his right hand beneath her chin, using it to slowly lift her gaze bringing her eyes in contact with his.

"You're tough girly, you hang in there ok?" She smiled at him, finding it harder and harder to hold back the tears as her eyes glazed over with fluid once more.

"Thank you Barney." She said in a whisper, embracing him once more, this time in a more tender fashion.

"Well I gotta be goin'." He said regretfully as he slowly let her go.

"Going? Where?" She inquired. "You going back out on survivor detail?"

"Nah, Mike took over that, he and Owen left about 15 minutes ago."

"Ah I see." She responded despite not knowing who any of the people Barney was talking about were; other refugees at White Forest obviously.

"No, I'm actually taking a couple of the guys with me, we're takin' the chopper to go and try to find Dr. Mossman." As he said it, she suddenly remembered the mission that she and Gordon had been tasked with before the advisor attack and the untimely demise of her father.

"Judith! Thats right!" She exclaimed as the memory came rushing back to her. "I completely forgot! Me and Gordon were supposed to go find her and help her. They sent you?"

"Yeah Doc Kleiner asked me to take care of it. Don't you worry none about it though, I'll find her. You've got more important things to worry about now." Alyx nodded in acknowlegement. He began to step away from Alyx.

"Alright, well I really gotta run. Hey and give my regards to Gordon when you see 'em." He said as he started to dash backwards through the corridor. "Tell 'em when this is all over, I do plan to make good on that beer I owe him." He shouted from down the corridor as he was a good distance away from Alyx in moments.

"Okay Barney! I will" she shouted back, as he turned the corner and bolted off out of sight with obvious urgent matters to attend to. "Take care of yourself!" She finished, unsure whether or not he had heard her.

Alyx entered the car garage, at White Forest, quickly surveying the entire room as she searched for Gordon. The large room felt rather empty, despite having a work bench, some scattered tires, a few beat up tool chests, a weathered old 1982 Chevy pickup truck and three dismantled Combine armored personnel carriers; which had been taken by force in three seperate ambushes.

Since the rebellion began, these monsterous, damn near invulnerable, vehicles were sent on regular patrols to any place reported to have rebel activity. Any attempt to attack these armored beasts however, usually ended in one of two ways. If you were lucky, you were killed... blown to pieces by the assault cannon mounted on each vehicle. If you were unlucky however, you were captured - taken back to the Combine's symbol of its towering regime known as the Citadel, to await a fate worst than death as your body was contorted into a conduit of their oppression. Atleast that was before it was more than a smouldering crater of twisted steel.

That was until a certain Dr. Kleiner developed a device which generated an electromagnetic disruption field. The electromagnetic disruption field generators, or EDFGs as he liked to call them, were no larger than a basketball and could be cleverly hidden behind rocks or in the trees amongst the forest, and would passively generate a disruption field roughly half a mile in radius. The moment an APC entered its radius all electronic equipment would abruptly power down, including communications. As the baffled soldiers on-board the now disabled APC would struggle to figure out what caused power failure, they were easy prey for rebel ambush parties. The refugees could then revel in the fruits of their conquests, as the APC's were often stocked with munitions and medical supplies.

"Jenn!" Alyx yelled out as she saw a face from City 17 she recognized.

The young woman looked over in the direction she heard her name called out. It was the same young woman who unlocked the gate, allowing Gordon passage out of the compound.

"Hi Alyx!" she exclaimed while waving, as her face lit up happy to see her old friend.

Alyx approached her while still looking around the room, making sure she didn't just miss Gordon crouched down behind a stack of tires or something.

"Hey, you haven't seen Gordon around here by any chance have you?"

"Dr. Freeman?" She started in. "Yeah he left almost an hour ago, I think he..."

"He left?" Alyx quickly interjected, startling the young lady.

"Uh... yeah... I dunno where he was going, but he looked pretty angry. I figured you guys had sent him on a mission or something?"

Upon hearing this, Alyx released a long drawn out sigh, while stopping and placing her thumb and index finger over her eyes, obviously frustrated.

"I saw one of the vort's talking to him, maybe he knows where he went." Jenn continued nervously. "I didn't really wanna say much to him, I was afraid he'd recognize me from the time I dropped his car off a crane... with him still in it... heh heh..." She laughed nervously as she squinted her eyes, preparing herself for a possible verbal thrashing.

"Vort? Which vort? who?" Alyx interrogated her now intimidated friend.

"Uh... I... I'm not sure." She stuttered in response. "They all just kinda look the same to me."

"So he just left and you don't even bother to..." Alyx stopped herself as she felt her anger and frustration start to get the better of her. "I'm sorry..." she said with a sigh "I'm sorry Jenn... It just... nevermind. Thanks for your help."

She turned with a jerk, and walked away leaving her friend behind with a nervous look on her face.

"Uh... ok... bye then." She said timidly, secretly hoping that Alyx wouldn't hear her and incline her to return for some reason.

Alyx hadn't taken three steps, when she heard a voice call to her from behind a support column she hadn't seemed to notice when she first came in.

"The Alyx Vance must heed." Recognizing the vernacular of a vortigaunt's eloquent speech, she stopped straightaway, coming face to face with the large red pupil of the green skinned alien.

"You! Are you the vortigaunt that spoke to Gordon? Do you know where he went?" Alyx beckoned, desperately waiting for an answer.

The vortigaunt closed his multitude of eyes and clasped his hands together as he nodded. "The Free Man has gone." he began. "He seeks to end those who have cut the tendrils of the Eli Vance's life"

"Wait..." interrupted Alyx. "Are you saying that he's gone after the advisors that killed my father?" Her breathing becoming rapid, as she began to panic.

"But... He can't fight those things! Not on his own. Oh god, Gordon!" Alyx exclaimed frantically as she tried to figure out what if anything she could do, desperate now to not lose her father and Gordon in the same day.

"Hey! You!" She shouted over to two of the refugees, standing by the workbench conversing. They both looked over at her as she interrupted their conversation. Seeing that she had their attention, she continued.

"This truck workin?" She inquired as she pointed at the primer colored '82 Pickup, which looked like it would fit in perfectly at a scrapyard. The two men glanced back at eachother for a moment, before one of them responded.

"Uh yeah!" he shouted in response. "She don't look like much, but she's runnin. Just fueled 'er up myself!"

"You got the keys?" Alyx demanded, walking toward the truck.

"Yeah..." He patted himself, searching for the keys on his person. "Somewhere... Ah! Here they are!" He said, pulling the keys out of his right pant pocket, and tossing them over to Alyx.

"Jenn! Open the gate!" Shouted Alyx, as she opened the vehicle door, climbing into the driver seat.

Without the slightest incling of hesitation, the woman at the gate quickly released the gate lock and it began to slide open with the usual mechanical rumblings.

Alyx put the key into the ignition, a look of pure determination overtaking her face. She turned the key, the engine rumbled but didn't turn over.

"Come on start..." She said to herself frustratedly. She tried again, cranking the key, this time the engine letting out a loud rumble as it turned over.

Suddenly the passenger door swung open and in climbed the Vortigaunt she just spoke with, closing the door behind him.

"Where you goin?" She asked as she waited for the gate to finish opening.

"The Alyx Vance may need assistance, should we find the Free Man, as he will most likely not be alone."

The mechanical screech of the gate came to a hault as it was now fully open.

"Fine with me." Alyx responded, as she shifted the truck into 'D' and slammed down on the gas hard. The wheels cried out in a blaze of smoke as the truck bolted off into the night.


	3. Chapter 3: Rustling in the Trees

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Crossover Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and both it's episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have NOT played or BEATEN these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies. Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 3: Rustling in the Trees**

There was a light drizzle in the air now, as the wind rustled through the forest. A full moon now loomed in the sky giving a chilling glow as it blanketed the mountainous region with a dim ominous light.

In the distance, one could hear the blood curdling howls of those forsaken souls, whos bodies had been taken; taken to serve as a host for a new organism, if you could call it that.

First they'd catch you, as small and fragile as they were, they were fast and numerous. They'd catch you and pierce their pincer like mandibles deep into your skull. Sure you could struggle for a while, but once they dug into you, ripping them out was like trying to gouge out your own eyes. Slowly they'd begin to change you, most of the time while you were still alive. It's hard to imagine the torment one must feel, when their insides are grinded and morphed to make room for a foreign symbiote.

When it was all finished, there wasn't anything left of the poor soul who had now lost their body to a diminutive headcrab; only an empty husk that soldiered forth to satisfy the primal hunger.

He paid no mind to the howls in the distance, as his grimy yellow car blurred by on the dirt road; the tiny beads of drizzle slowly starting to accumulate on his glasses. His brow still furrowed as his cold green cut into the darkness, never waivering from the road. Up ahead a lonely crow feasted on what remained of a nameless human being.

There was a time when a sight such as this would have shocked a person. A time taken for granted, when the most dangerous thing in these woods would have been the indigenous bears or the occassional snake.

Suddenly, the ground near the estranged crow began to rumble gently. Instinctively the crow spread its wings as it prepared to take the sky. But as quickly as it managed to spread its wings, and quicker than it had a chance to use them, the earth itself opened up beneath it as if to swallow it. Althought it wouldn't be the Earth doing the swallowing.

A scythe-like arm slashed out from the burrow, piercing the poor crow and sealing its fate. A green insect-like creature emerged from the cavity to claim its reward. It began to feast on its feathered delicacy, when its sharp raptorial legs discovered what the crow had been doing on the ground, and out of its element.

Clenching it tightly in its small pincers, the antlion slowly tried to drag the fetid corpse down into its burrow, knowing that it would make a good meal for his kin. The creature struggled as it pulled and prodded at the carcass. Suddenly the Earth started to rumble again, as two bright beacons of light were bearing down it. Like a deer in the headlights it froze in place momentarily, before making a frantic attempt to scurry out of the way.

The rumble of the powerful engine roared, as bits and pieces of the antlion scattered into the air and splattered onto the vehicle. A large chunk of the former creature splashed against Gordon's chestplate leaving a yellow splatter mark. It didn't even phase him as his gaze remained narrowed and focused.

Suddenly a sound he recognized caused him to slam on the brakes. The light drizzle had moistened the dirt road, leaving a light coating of mud on it. The Charger fishtailed slightly before being brought to a violent hault askew an old abandoned barn. Out here in these mountains, one could often find abandoned houses, or shacks. They were well suited for people looking to take in outdoor living, or for those that valued their privacy. Now they simply stood as decript old structures, serving as a relics of a better time.

Rapidly, he shut off the car, wanting to make sure the thunder of the engine didn't drown out the sound he was listening for. He stepped out of the vehicle, tuning his ears to the slightest irregularity amidst the howl of the wind and the pitter patter of what had now become a light rain. The rain brought an almost cleansing glow to his car, as it lightly coated it with water, somewhat renewing its sheen under the moonlight. The water didn't seem to affect Gordon, as drops slowly started to roll down his face in droves.

His cold green eyes jolted back and forth rapidly as he searched for a target in the darkness. Suddenly he heard it! He knew he wasn't mistaken; the mechanical whirring moan of a baleful strider. Lighty, he could hear it pounding the dampened ground as it marched forward. He was close... His gaze narrowed as he understood that the sound would lead him to the beast, and with it he would find the creatures responsible for the slaughter he had witnessed.

He would find them and end them - seeking out their mortal coil, he would rend it lifeless; and his fabled crowbar would drink... drink until its thirst was quenched with blood and his enemy sleep forever. For they had killed one of the few people he had left to care about upon this tattered earth; his friend, his mentor, his ally. And they would pay for what they had done...

He turned to climb back into his vehicle, anxious to reach his destination. He reached for the ignition, when unexpectedly, he heard a loud thumping sound in the trees parallel to his car. He turned his head with a jerk towards the sound, peering into the trees.

Bracingly, he stepped out of the car once more hoping to get a better view of what made the sound, but all he could see was darkness. "Stomp – Stomp" Came the sound again, this time accompanied by rustling in the trees.

"Damn it..." He thought to himself. "They've been tracking me the whole time."

Without hesitating a moment longer, he rushed to the rear of his car, and released a latch to open the trunk.

"No matter..." He said to himself. "I'm right here, come and get me..."

The trunk of the car flew open, revealing an arsenal of ordnance. "Come and get me." He uttered yet again, pulling out enough armaments to serve a small militia.

He pulled out a laser guided RPG launcher, with strap which he hung over his right shoulder, a small grenade bandoleer designed to carry five 40mm HE Grenades, but for now only housing three, which he tossed over his left shoulder. And his trusty SPAS-12 shotgun, which he received from a shepard tending to his flock in the lovely little town of Ravenholm.

Having everything he needed, he slammed the trunk shut, cocked his shotgun, and turned back to face the trees, ready to make his stand here and now if the situation called for it.

His wet hair matted down over his forhead, as the rain gently beat down on him. He waited anxiously, expecting a hunter to emerge from the forest, or a strider to suddenly stand up over the tops of the trees, but nothing came.

"Could it have been nothing?" He thought to himself. "No... no creature of these woods makes a stomping noise like that. Whatever made that sound was massive... It had to be a strider or a hunter." He reassured himself, determined not to let his guard down.

Suddenly the trees rustled once more, he brandished his shotgun ready to fire. A fusilade of pounds came from the darkness, as out of the trees blitzed a gargantuan Antlion Guard.

With great velocity, the beast made a b-line directly for Gordon. Surprised by his attacker, but not the attack, Gordon pulled the trigger on the shotgun releasing the loud crack of gunfire. He cocked the gun, to ready it for another shot, but didn't have time to fire.

Moments before the creature could slam into him, he dove out of the way rolling into the mud. The guard slammed hard into Gordon's already beat up car, causing it to tilt up on two-wheels momentarily before its weight forced it to come crashing back down. Faster than the creature was able to dicipher what happened, Gordon popped up off the ground and rapidly began to unload a barrage of gunfire, shot after shot into the beast.

Disoriented but aware that it had not struck its prey, the guard turned to Gordon, completely unphased by the fusilade of 12-gauge buckshot being unloaded into it. Letting out a furious roar in a show of dominance, it charged Gordon yet again. Gordon looked down at his shotgun for a split second as, a click came from the trigger, indicating that it needed to reloaded.

The split second was enough to give the guard the opening it needed, as Gordon dodged the incoming charge once again, only this time a split second too late. Head first, the guard slammed into Gordon, unable to hit him directly however. The beast plowed into Gordon, hitting him on his right shoulder as he tried to dodge out of the way. The blow sent gordon spinning, causing him to fall face first into the mud.

Luckily the guard had too much momentum for its own good, that it continued on for a moment before turning to finish off what appeared would be an easy catch. Gordon turned and sat up in the mud, his RPG and shotgun having been knocked out of his possession. He stared at the Antlion guard, which was in the distance staring right back. It lowered its head and roared furiously once more, almost challenging him to get up.

Slowly he stood up, his shoulder was bothering him a little, but he wasn't injured, the HEV suit seemed to absorb most of the impact. The Antlion guard started to walk towards him, surprisingly it wasn't charging again. He had Gordon right where he wanted him, there was no need to rush.

"I'm going about this all wrong..." Gordon thought to himself, as he slowly walked backwards away from beast now sizing him up, careful not to make any sudden movements.

He carefully surveyed the area, hoping to find his rocket launcher, as he doubted anything less would be useful. Just then, he noticed the abandoned barn for the first time.

"Hmm..." He uttered to himself, as his pupils began fluttering back and forth in his head, as he began to formulate an idea.

He grinned maliciously, as he slowly pulled a grenade from the bandoleer that was still hanging on his left shoulder, and held it with one hand behind his back. He continued to walk backwards, rotating ever so slowly as the creature followed intently, never once taking its bestial eyes off of him.

"Thats it... come on..." He said under his breathe as he carefully positioned himself directly infront of the barn, his back to it, and the guard directly infront of him.

"Perfect." He whispered to himself.

He stood up straight and firm, his hand holding the grenade still resting behind his back. With fire in his eyes, he furrowed his brow and took a deep breath.

"Come and get me you big stupid son of a bitch!" He yelled out furiously hoping to provoke the creature into yet another charge.

Sure enough, the outburst caused the beast to let forth a terrifying roar as it blitzed forward. Gordon held his ground, not showing the slightest hint of intimidation as the creature bared down on him intent on his destruction. Behind his back, Gordon carefully removed the grenade's pin with his thumb. A red light flashed on the explosive, indicating that it was now armed.

With a flick of his wrist, Gordon tossed the grenade behind him, into the decript barn. The pounding of the wet floor grew louder as the guard got closer and closer, when at the last possible second, Gordon dove out of the way allowing the guard to run directly into the barn unhindered.

A loud slam was heard as the guard plowed straight into a support beam within the barn. The entire building shook as Gordon stood up and bolted to the opposite side of his car, seeking cover from the impending explosion.

The antlion guard stood disoriented and shook itself out of dissary, as the red flashing pulses from the grenade resting at its feet began to flash faster and faster. Boom! A loud explosion echoed through the mountains and left a slight ringing in Gordon's ears as a black burst of smoke came pouring out of the barn.

Miraculously it was still standing. Gordon stood up, slowly walking towards the barn entrance as black smoke spilled out into the tempest night. A small sense of pride overcame him as he turned to look for his lost weapons and continue on to his true nemesis.

Suddenly, a loud beastly roar tore through night sky, Gordon turned in disbelief to face the barn once more. As the smoke began to clear, he could make out the silhouette of the Antlion guard tossed against a wall of flame behind it, as it stood up and prepared to attack once more.

Gordon watched in shock as the unrelenting creature began to emerge from the smoke, seeminly stopping at nothing. Unexpectedly, as the sound of crackling fire eminated from the barn, it bagan to shift. Gordon watched as the roof began to cave in, the sound coming as a surprise to his enemy still enveloped in smoke within the burning structure.

Like a delicate house of cards against a sudden wind, the entire building collapsed down onto the guard. A heavy support beam, which was likely the only thing keeping the barn together, slammed down on the beast, its jagged wooden edges impaling it straight through.

The combination of the rain as well as the barn collapsing on itself worked well in smothering the flames, as a smoldering pile of debris surrounded the brute, creating a fitting tomb. Gordon slowly walked over to the collapsed barn, making sure the agressor was truly dead this time. A sudden twitch in the debris caused Gordon to jump back a bit, realizing then that it was just the ashen debrish shifting among itself.

The rain was slowly washing away the mud on his face and glasses, as he stood staring at the once mighty Antlion Guard. He removed his glasses, trying to shake the excess rain and mud off before returning them to his face.

Having dealt with this obstacle, he turned his attention to finding his misplaced weapons. He walked around a bit searching, when his spotted his army green RPG launcher.

"Definetely don't want to lose this." he thought to himself.

He continued to search for his shotgun, looking for any discrepancies in the muddy dirt road. Suddenly he heard a clack as he stepped on something firm. He looked down and was able to make out the outline of a firearm in the mud. He bent over to pick it up, every crevice of it now packed with mud.

He shook off what excess mud he could, and tried to wipe off whatever else he could get with his hands. He had faith in the reliabilty of the Italian manufactured weapon, and heaven knows it had seen him through some pretty dire situations, but he still needed to be sure.

He loaded a single round into the chamber and took aim, the loud sound of gunfire cracked through the mountains as he fired into the night sky. He looked down at his shotgun with a smile, almost like a parent proud of his children.

He placed the RPG launcher in the back seat, along with a case of rockets, and put his Shotgun and grenade bandoleer in the passenger seat, where his crowbar and gravity gun were already resting.

He took a quick look at his car before climbing in - it now exhibiting a huge concave dent upon the frame where the antlion guard had rammed into it head on. The damage, a testament to the creatures tremendous strength.

Having been detained enough, he climbed into his car and reached for the ignition, when he got an idea. He looked over at the corpse of the guard as the gears of his mind began to turn. He remembered how he used the pheromone glands, extracted from a guard by a vortigaunt, to rally the antlions to his aid when he assaulted Nova Prospekt.

"If I can extract the pheropods from that thing, I can use them against the Combine. This area seems to be crawling with antlions." He thought to himself. "But the vort used an energy discharge to make the incision and extract the pods... Where can I..."

He cracked a smirk as a light seemingly came on in his head. He looked down to the passenger seat spotting the zero point energy field manipulator. With haste he grabbed the gravity gun and stepped out of his car rushing over to the fallen guard. Gordon made some adjustments on the gravity gun's controls, fine-tunning it to achieve the disired affect.

"Now if I remember correctly, the incision was made here." He thought to himself as he pulled the trigger on the gravity gun, causing it to let forth a pulse of electrical energy.

With almost surgical precision, Gordon was able to cut through the soft underbelly of the beast revealing the fruits of his work. He reached in, extracting three apple sized pheromone glands.

Walking back to his car for the third time, he stepped in, carefully placed the gravity gun and the pheropods on his passenger seat, and reached for the ignition when he heard a loud pounding in the trees yet again.

"Damn it!" he uttered to himself. "The pods must have attracted its mate..."

He sighed heavily, wasting no time to get out of the vehicle. "Or maybe this time it really is the Combine."

Quickly he grabbed the rocket launcher and case of rockets out of the backseat, he wouldn't take any chances this time. Primed and ready he aimed the launcher into the trees, its bright red laser being illuminated in the rainfall. With his finger on the trigger, he awaited anxiously for whatever horror would emerge from the copse of the trees.

Just then a massive figure emerged slowly from the bush, each behemoth step it took, resounding through the mountains. He stared upon it with a baffled look on his face as he slowly lowered his weapon.

"Dog?" He exclaimed as he saw that the figure in the trees was none other than Alyx's amicable robotic pet Dog, although he more closely resembled a robotic gorilla than a dog.

Ecstatic to see his friend Gordon, he stomped on the ground excitedly with his two front hands before charging at Gordon happily.

"Whoa! Easy, easy boy!" Gordon said nervously as he attempted to stop dog, but it was to no avail.

Exhuberent to see Gordon, he ran right up to him picking him up in his giant mechanical arms and lifted him straight up off the ground giving him a giant robotic hug.

"Ok ok!" Gordon said with a chuckle. "I'm happy to see you too. You can put me down now." He smiled as he patted dog on his large steel shoulder.

Dog slowly put Gordon down and looked at him with what Gordon interpretted to be joy in his large red optic lens.

"What are you doing all the way out here Dog? You should be back at White Forest looking after Alyx."

Dog, unable to formulate words, responded with a series of loud mechanical buzzing noises. He began pounding on the ground in an angry fashion, cleary indicating that he too wanted retribution for what the Combine had done to Dr. Vance.

"You've come to help me, is that it?" Gordon asked crossing his arms.

Dog emitted another loud mechanical buzz and nodded his head, which at some point used to be a Combine scanner.

"Well..." Gordon began, as he made a tactical assessment of the situation. "I suppose I can use all the help I can get."

Suddenly, again came the chilling moan of a strider in this distance. This time it was farther than ever. Dog looked in the direction the sound came from and pounded the ground with both fists in a rage. Then he looked back at Gordon and ran around in a small circle obviously trying to tell him something.

"You want me to follow you?" Gordon asked. "You can track them?"

Dog nodded, and sprinted off a short distance ahead before stopping and looking back at Gordon waiting for him to follow. Wasting no time, Gordon got back into his car and was finally able to start the engine without interruption.

The cold calculating gaze returning to his eyes once more. Gordon slammed on the gas, and the back wheel kicked up huge chunks of mud before digging deep enough to find friction and take off.

There was a downpour of rain now. Lightning cracked through the sky turning night into day for a split second, before the light was swallowed up the darkness again. A storm was coming...


	4. Chapter 4: Revenge

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: this fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 4: Revenge**

"Come on! Move you hunk a' junk!" Alyx lashed out in frustration as lightning cracked in the distance.

The rain, now pouring down, coated the windshield before the wiper blades could dissipate it. The battered, yet sturdy, 4x4 pickup was able to cut through the wallows of mud with remarkable ease, however she was built for utility not speed.

"Come on..." Alyx said nervously as she tapped on the steering wheel with one hand, searching the tempest night for any sign of Gordon.

"The Alyx Vance would do well to be tranquil." The vortigaunt next to her calmly suggested. "The Free Man knows only too well, how to guard himself."

"No!" She exclaimed abruptly, as the rhythmic beat of rain continued heavily, never once taking her eyes off of what she perceived to be the road. "Not against these... these things! Not without help!" Alyx asserted. "They... freeze you – make you... helpless..."

A sudden chill ran down her spine, as lightning struck in the night sky. She remembered how they had her pinned up against the wall, and the feeling of helplessness as she watched her father die.

"Yes." The Vortigaunt interjected, bringing her back from the brink of the remorseful trance she nearly entered into. "The Combine advisors..." he continued, "Powerful they are, but cowardly. They will not be traveling alone."

There was silence between them for a moment, and all that could be heard was the pounding of the rain. Without warning, Alyx slammed on the breaks, startling her vortigaunt passenger.

"Look!" she cried out as she threw the door open and stepped out into the rain.

Alyx was soaked in a matter of moments, as she waded through the heavy mud. The vortigaunt was quick to follow as they both approached what used to be an abandoned barn; now debris, ash, and something more.

"This is the work of The Free Man." the vortigaunt claimed, breaking the silence as they both stared at the entombed Antlion Guard.

"Yeah but where is he now?" Alyx inquired as she looked around, hoping to spot his orange suit, or yellow car clashing with the darkness. But to no avail.

"Ah..." the vortigaunt uttered as he rushed over to the fallen Antlion Guard for a closer examination. "The Free Man is wise. Look here." He said as he motioned over to Alyx.

She rushed over, being cautious as she navigated the debris of the barn.

"The Free Man has extracted the pheropods from the beast. He likely seeks to use them in his endeavor."

Alyx looked on at the gaping hole in the guard's underbelly, surprised that Gordon actually knew the art of pheropod cultivation.

"Well that makes me feel a little better I suppose... knowing that Gordon is going in prepared." She said, a look of concern overtaking her face despite her best efforts to conceal it. "But we still need to help him" she declared with a sense of assertiveness now in her voice. "I'm not about to lose him and my dad in the same day."

The vortigaunt stood up from the crouched position he took while examining the guard, and turned to Alyx.

"Agreed. Let us now make haste to find The Free Man and render our assistance."

Alyx acknowledged with a nod, as they both turned and headed back to the truck, Alyx taking special precaution as she navigated her way off of the pile of debris. The engine was still running when they climbed back into the pickup, soaking wet. Two car doors slammed shut simultaneously, as a mud covered foot pressed down hard on the accelerator. Piles of mud erupted from under all four tires of the truck as it sped off.

* * *

His car moved slowly along the narrow, now gravel covered, road that led them both deep into forest. The sound of the marching strider was nearby now and he could make out combine radio chatter among the foot troops. The copse of the trees provided adequate cover from the downpour of rain above, gently filtering out into a small drizzle.

Despite his size, Dog had somehow managed to lighten his thunderous steps to a gentle tap. As Gordon matched dogs slow speed, Dog suddenly stopped and poised himself, sticking his head straight forward almost like an Irish Setter pointing on a hunt. Instinctively Gordon knew exactly what Dog was trying to tell him.

Gordon shut off the engine, walked in the direction Dog indicated, and slowly peered out from behind the trees for a closer look. There before him, marching on a street overlooking a slight cliff was the Combine Troop he had been seeking.

The street had long since fallen into disrepair, it was riddled with cracks, potholes, and chunks missing. The guard rail put in place in order to protect drivers from the edge was mangled, and in some places missing.

Since he had managed to destroy the Citadel, and close the portal relay doorways used by the Combine, they were now stranded here, cut off from all communication with other Combine cells. Thus, they had no choice but to band together in convoy troops such as the one before him now.

He took great care in sizing up the force marching before him, taking extra precaution not to be seen. He counted about twenty to thirty foot soldiers, each armed with a Standard-Issue AR2 Combine Assault Rifle, just like one of the ones he carried. One claimed from a nameless fallen Combine soldier.

He also counted three Hunter. These bio-mechanical beasts we're definitely going to prove a challenge, possessing every bit of strength of an Antlion Guard, they also had the ability to launch a projectile that pierced and clung to any surface it touched. These flechettes would then detonate spelling disaster for anything or anyone they were attached to.

At the rear of the troop was the massive gargantuan beast, whose pounding footsteps had led them here. Standing a towering 40-feet tall, the strider slowly marched behind the troop, its smooth mechanical frame glistening in the rain.

As he continued to size up his enemies and attempted to formulate a plan of attack, he spotted them. At the front of the troop we're two large slug like creatures floating forward. One of which had a green pustule-like gash in its side. Obviously, this was the one wounded by Dog earlier that day, as he saved Gordon and Alyx from their clutches, too late to save the good Dr. Vance however.

A cold breeze swept through the forest, as the look of seethed determination returned to his face. He turned, and headed back into the forest, towards his car. Walking with a purpose in his step, a cold gaze in his eyes, and wicked thoughts running through his mind, he reached the rear of the car and popped the trunk.

"Hardpoint Alpha report status; sector clean negative moment. Overwatch priority one objective remains proceed to sector Delta Black." The coded Combine radio chatter persisted among the convoy foot troops, as they marched forward in the rain.

Unexpectedly, a cylinder shaped object with a red flashing light came hurdling toward the formation of foot troops, from out of the brush, coming to a rest at their feet. It took them a second to realize what this object was before...

"Shit! Grenade!" Yelled one of troops via his helmet's radio com link as the group attempted to disperse.

The loud explosion echoed through the mountainside. The grenade left the troop formation scattered and disoriented, leaving five soldiers dead and three more wounded.

"Outbreak! Outbreak! Outbreak! Sector is not secure, hostiles inbound." The radio chatter continued, this time with a deep sense of urgency as they attempted to regain their bearings. "Negative visual on hostiles, stay alert."

The troop now thrown into complete disarray, tried to get a grasp on where this stray grenade came from. They looked around in all directions, and poised themselves for combat, brandishing their assault rifles. The massive strider, hoping its height would give it a better view, searched the area for any discrepancies or signs of hostiles, but finding none.

Just then, from the same origin of the previous grenade, came flying two small apple sized pods, accompanied by the roar of an engine. The pods found their mark, erupting into a puff of liquid, coating several foot soldiers.

"Over there! Eight o'clock open fire!" Came the radio chatter again, once they realized the objects hurled at them this time were not grenades and therefore not a threat to them.

A barrage of gunfire, from soldier, strider, and hunter alike, tore into the forest. Suddenly, a flood of green insect like creatures burst out from behind the trees, many of which were shot and killed in the onslaught. The antlions, naturally attracted to the pheromones, ruthlessly attacked the foot soldiers. Most of the antlions were no match for the heavily armed and armored guards, but what the antlions lacked in power, they made up for in numbers.

The strider watched helplessly from its position high above the battle taking place at its feet. If it shot into the crowd, it could do more harm than good killing its own allies. The hunters however, had no problem joining into the fray, stomping antlions left and right and piercing their exoskeletons with fletchettes.

A pair of jade green eyes, watched from behind the trees as chaos ensued among his enemies, creating the perfect distraction. As he sat in the car, the engine running, and his hands gripping the wheel, he turned to Dog, giving him a slight nod. Dog reciprocated the nod, and bolted forward to a nearby tree and began to climb to the top. Gordon slammed down on the gas hard, and the battered yellow Charger came bursting out of the woods, eager to join the fray.

Gordon spotted his first target, and took aim, as if his car had come equipped with a crosshair display. One of the three hunters was busy trying to quell the numbers of the antlions. Too busy to notice his car coming straight at it. At a moments notice, it turned around, only to catch a glimpse of the yellow blur, before being plowed into. The limp body of the hunter fell over onto the front of Gordon's vehicle, obstructing his view for a moment, before falling off to the side.

"Target confirmed! Anti-Citizen One. Engage and terminate!" He heard a Combine radio exclaim as they identified him.

He drove a short distance away from the primary Combine force. He slammed on the breaks and turned, the slick, rain covered road was perfect for him to execute a 90 degree turn, leaving his car completely perpendicular to the bulk of the Combine forces.

The Combine unanimously turned their attention over to Gordon as the antlion numbers were completely thinned out. He dove out of the car, and quickly ran to the opposite side, putting the car between him and the combine. He had felt a few shots hit his backside, ricocheting off of his hefty HEV armor.

He ducked for cover on the opposite side of the car, his entire arsenal of weapons, easily accessible, were resting comfortably on the passenger side. Gordon grabbed the assault rifle and brandished it, waiting for an opportunity to return fire from the barrage of bullets now showering his car.

It wasn't long before the entire left side of the vehicle was completely riddled with bullet pocks. Hoping to give himself an opening, he took his last grenade out of the bandoleer, removed the pin and let it fly.

"Look out!" One of the soldiers yelled as the grenade bounced in their direction. The five soldiers in the grenades immediate vicinity quickly dove aside, one of them actually taking refuge behind the corpse of the fallen hunter.

Boom! The grenade exploded, this time claiming no lives, but giving Gordon a short opening to open fire. He shot up from behind his car, and let loose a rapid battery of gunfire, hitting three of the soldiers as they tried to emerge from the ground, successful in avoiding the explosive but not Freeman's bullets.

The gargantuan strider, as if having had enough, slowly began to descend on Gordon's position. Gordon could hear its anti-matter assault cannon being charged up as it prepared to fire.

Just then, out of nowhere, as the strider was moments from firing, Dog came flying out of the tops of the trees, slamming into the strider causing the it to miss its target, firing its canon deep into the night sky instead. Gordon breathed a sigh of relief as he continued to exchange fire with the foot soldiers and hunters. Dog grappled furiously with the strider causing it to stagger back and forth, trying to shake free of its unwelcome passenger.

Suddenly, like a giant redwood, the two of them toppled falling back into the copse of trees, and disappearing out of sight into the forest. Distracted by the awesome sight of the battle between the two behemoths, he hadn't noticed the manhacks released by the soldiers. He scanned the trees hoping to see some sign of Dog, but could find none. All he could hear was thunderous pounding in the trees accompanied by mechanical moans.

All of a sudden, something slashed at his cheek, leaving a deep gash, and causing him to turn his attention to the assembly of manhacks coming at him. A second one came at his face once more, intent on leaving more than just a superficial wound. Gordon moved his head out of the way, causing the manhack to scratch into Gordon's car.

With speed and precision, Gordon quickly went for his trusted crowbar, on the floor of the passenger seat, as he felt a manhack attempt to cut into the back of his armor, with little success.

Seeing that Freeman was preoccupied dealing with the infestation of mechanical flying blades, the foot soldiers started to spread out, trying to get a flank on his position, never once ceasing fire.

While still in a crouched position, Gordon began swinging furiously at the incoming manhacks as they weaved in and out, trying to mince him. A smashing sound came as he nailed one dead on, causing it to burst into a million tiny mechanical pieces. Smash! Another one erupted, and then another, and another until none were left. When he had finished with the manhacks, he realized that there was a sudden silence of gunfire.

"Hold it right there!" came a sudden muffled voice as a Combine soldier emerged from around the rear of his car wielding an assault rifle.

Within a matter of moments he was surrounded by five of the foot soldiers putting him in a highly dubious position. With his crowbar still clenched in his fist, he put his hands up, attempting to lure the soldiers into a false sense of security as he searched for an opening.

Before they had a chance to disarm him, a loud thrashing came from the trees once more as the strider emerged over the top of the forest, with Dog still clinging on the proverbial bucking bronco.

The split second distraction was more than enough, as Gordon brought his armed hand down on the soldier immediately before him. A loud buzz similar to the one heard in hospitals when a patient flatlined, was heard as Gordon cracked his helmet and skull open. Before the soldier had a chance to hit the ground, Gordon snatched the rifle out of his hands and turned to the soldier directly behind him, firing into his chest leveling him. Gordon kept his finger on the trigger, releasing a long battery of rounds, as his target dropped, it left a clear opening for the target directly behind him, dropping him as well.

It all happened so fast, that they didn't have time to react. When the two soldiers still standing, finally got a grasp on what was going on, they abruptly opened fire, riddling the back of Gordon's HEV suit before he turned his attention back to them and finished them off.

His faithful suit was on the cutting edge of any modern armor, but not invulnerable. Much like any fortifications, it too had its weak spots. Suddenly a sharp pain shot into his left shoulder, as he discovered he had difficulty moving it. A bullet had managed to find one of the structural weaknesses of his suit, where the shoulder joint connected with the primary chest piece, and pierced the back of his shoulder.

With a pained look on his face, as he favored his left shoulder, Gordon looked on as dog tussled feverishly with the Strider. Now only the strider, two foot soldiers, and the two hunters remained standing. He had wondered why, with such a large opening for attack, the hunters didn't advance on his position same as the soldiers. Then he saw the answer. The two advisors were huddled together cowering behind the hunters, as the hunters formed a protective barrier between Freeman and his target.

Suddenly the strider began to thrash about much more violently, as Dog started prying the protective plating off of it. The strider thrashed about wildly, sensing its impending demise. Before Dog had a chance to tear into the innards of the behemoth, he was flung off, despite his best efforts to stay mounted. Dog was sent flying off of strider and slammed hard into a large boulder resting on the edge of the forest.

"Dog!" Gordon yelled out as he watched his mechanical ally crash against the rocks. He waited for a moment, hoping to see Dog get back up, but to his dismay... he didn't.

The battery of bullets and flechettes continued in his direction as he looked on at Alyx's fallen robotic companion... Without thought or hesitation, he climbed up onto the frame of his car and into the driver seat, bullets ricocheting off of his suit. He started the engine, paying little mind to the barrage of ordnance coming his way, and turned heading straight for his agressors.

Three fletchettes found their mark, drilling into his chest plating. But like someone, discarding a piece of lint from their clothing and tossing it aside, he quickly grabbed them, pulled them out and tossed them out of his car, leaving them to explode behind him.

As his headlights bared down on their target, he could hear the strider once again begin to charge its anti-matter assault cannon. He grabbed his crowbar from the passenger seat, and used it to press down on the accelerator, lodging the crowbar between the gas pedal and his seat cushion.

The strider, locked on to the approaching yellow car, took aim and readied itself to fire. Gordon lunged out of the car, and it continued onto its target.

"Umph!" Gordon grunted in pain, as he hit the wet pavement, causing his wound to give him added distress.

A split second before the strider could fire, the vehicle careened into its stilted legs, sweeping them out from under it. The strider came hurdling downward, and moments before its head could hit ground, its anti-matter assault cannon went off, hitting the two nearby hunters and crippling itself.

A loud explosion erupted, bathing the night in a bright orange light as bits and pieces of the hunters and strider rained down. The force of the explosion, in combination with the slick road also caused his car to overturn and rollover multiple times, tossing the weapons he still had tucked away on the vehicle, in every direction.

An object came flying towards him, landing directly at his feet with a loud clang. Somehow his crowbar always found a way to get back to him, as if they were destined to work together always. Still favoring his left shoulder, he bent down to pick up the long piece of iron.

He walked over to the flaming wreckage, basking in the orange glow as he breathed heavily from exhaustion. With his crowbar still clenched in his right hand, he hunched over trying to catch his breathe. He had done it...

Suddenly a familiar force pounded in his head.

"Ugh!" he grunted as he scrunched his eyes in pain. "No!" He groaned in agony.

He opened his eyes in a daze, and from behind the wall of flames he saw the two advisors emerge. Summoning every ounce of strength he could muster, he ran over to them, raising his crowbar over his head. But before he could bring it down on them, a great physical force restrained him in place, a feeling he knew all too well.

Slowly his feet lifted off the ground as they suspended him up, ready to subject him to the same fate as Dr. Vance. He was brought face to face with the scarred advisor. He struggled desperately trying to break free, but it was no use. Slowly the proboscis began to emerge from this dreadful creatures face, almost as if taunting him before he died.

Gordon closed his eyes... "I failed..." he thought to himself, as he started seeing the image of Eli's death play in his mind once again.

"I love you sweetheart! Close your eyes honey, don't look." Eli cried out, knowing this was to be his last few moments on Earth.

"I love you dad!" Alyx yelled out, with tears in her eyes as she was helpless to do anything to save her father.

"No! Oh my god! No! No!" He could hear her voice crying in anguish in his mind. Helpless... utterly helpless to do anything. Suddenly he saw them pierce the back of Eli's head, rendering him lifeless... And he was helpless...

"No..." he said to himself, as he began to breathe heavily.

The seething in his soul burning once again. He saw it, over and over in the darkness of his eyes. "Dad! Dad! Don't leave me..."

"No!" He yelled out in a rage, as he opened his eyes once more, bringing his crowbar crashing down, cutting straight through the skin of the advisor before him, causing it to let forth a loud tormented squeal and releasing him from their grip.

Shocked by what it just saw, the second advisor immediately, turned tail and ran, floating away as fast as it could. His feet now planted firmly back on solid ground, Gordon quickly scanned the area, looking for a firearm or anything he could use to bring down the fleeing advisor before it could escape.

Spotting his gravity gun, he picked it up in a hurry and grabbed a large metallic piece of smoldering debris. The advisor would be out of range soon, he had to take aim quickly and carefully. A sudden jolt of energy released the projectile and it hit its target dead on, causing the advisor to come crashing back down to earth.

This one wasn't dead however, Gordon watched it slither and squirm on the floor in agony. He bent over, yanking out his crowbar from the first impaled advisor – there was no question that one was dead. Slowly he walked over to the other advisor, crowbar in hand, as he watched it writhe in pain.

He stood over it, looking down, as the advisor's two optic eyes looked back at him, almost pleadingly. Without saying a word, his face void of all expression, he knelt over the poor creature, raised his crowbar over his head and proceeded to ruthlessly and mercilessly bludgeon it to death. Green blood splattered onto his suit and face as the creature wailed in anguish. And his crowbar drank... drank until its thirst had been quenched with blood, and his enemy slept forever...


	5. Chapter 5: The Late Dr Freeman

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: this fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 5: The Late Dr. Freeman**

"Did you hear that explosion! That has to be Gordon!" Alyx exclaimed to her vortigaunt passenger, keeping her foot firmly pressed on the accelerator as their truck cut through the muddy road.

"Yes," the vortigaunt started in "Their is no doubt the Free Man has found those whom he sought. Let us hope we are not too late."

Alyx gripped tightly at the wheel, a look of sheer determination on her face.

"Wait..." the vortigaunt said as he tuned his senses to his surroundings. "Does the Alyx Vance hear?" He asked Alyx, with a fair bit of concern in his rough voice.

"Hear? Hear what? I don't hear anything." Alyx answered, never once taking her eyes off the road.

"Exactly." interjected the vort. "Moments ago there was no cease to the sound of firearms, now there is only silence... The Free Man's battle has ended..."

Alyx looked over at the vortigaunt for a moment, the look of determination quickly replaced by one of dread, but only for a moment before she turned her attention back to the road, resolute on finding the Free Man.

* * *

There was a ghostly silence, as the sun rose over the mountainside, basking everything the light touched in a brilliant renewing gleam. He hadn't even noticed that the rain had stopped, as he knelt over the mutilated corpse of what used to be a Combine Advisor. He took deep breathes in droves, panting heavily trying to catch his breath.

His armor, having seen him through this, was riddled in bullet pocks, covered in blood, battered, dented, and beaten; showing obvious signs of degeneration from this battle and the many before it. Slowly he stood up, wounded and exhausted, with his crowbar still in hand.

"It's done..." He thought to himself as he looked down at the fallen advisor laid out at his feet.

He took a look around, seeing for the first time in the morning light, the carnage and destruction he had let loose on the Combine. That's when he spotted his poor mechanical friend, still laid out from his battle with the Strider.

"Dog..." he said under his breath as he staggered over, hoping there still would be a chance to help him. A loud clanging sound came as he dropped his crowbar and hurried over to Dog as fast as his fatigued legs would carry him.

Suddenly, there was silence... but not like before, no – a dead silence. There was no wind, no birds, no anything... Just then, he realized he couldn't move, something had suspended him.

"Another advisor?" He began to dread. "No..." He thought to himself. "I know what this is... Not now... Please not now!" He pleaded to himself.

He looked around, and he spotted a bird flying overhead, although it was not flying as much as it was floating... Suspended in time. Everything around him was simply suspended in time.

Slowly he saw darkness creep in all around him, as the world slowly began to fade to black. He was frozen in place again, but not like before. This was almost as if he was looking at the world, through another person's eyes. His own thoughts echoed only in his head, but any signal sent to his body, any command to move, was simply ignored.

"Oh Doctor Freeeeeeeeman..." Came a chilling voice from the darkness, a cold voice, void of all emotion and humanity.

A voice he had come to know only too well... Just then, a tall slender man in a blue business suit manifested himself before him. His skin was icy pale, and he had an emptiness about his eyes. His right hand clutched a briefcase, while his left adjusted his necktie carefully as he approached Gordon.

"Now, now... Dr. Freeman, I've never known... you to be the recklesss type."

His manner of speaking was odd, putting pauses where none should be, emphasizing improper syllables, and speaking with a somewhat diabolic hiss. Gordon's eyes stared back into the empty eyes of the man before him, powerless to do little else.

"Although, I must... say you never do fail to... impresss..." This phantom of a man continued. "However, as you... well know I am not one to... sssquander my investments."

"What is he gonna do? Why is he here now, whats he planning?" Gordon's mind ran rampant as the reticent figure before him continued on.

Suddenly a bright, blinding light shone in from behind the suited figure. As Gordon looked on, the silhouette of a briefcase wielding man was all he could make out now.

"I did always say that... the right man in the wrong place could... make all the difference in the world... And of course I was right." The apparition continued. "But... we can't have you recklessly taking unnecessary... risks now can we Doctor Freeman?"

"Damn it, not again!" Gordon thought to himself, knowing exactly what was about to happen, the same way it did after Black Mesa.

"Now, what... do we have here?" The suited figure before him caught Gordon's attention again, this time holding Gordon's Gravity Gun. "Interesssting little toy you've got here... perhaps we'll hold on to it... until... until your hour comesss again..."

Suddenly he could feel motion, he could feel himself moving, although relative to the man before him and the darkness of his surroundings he was standing perfectly still.

"No! Damn you! No! Please no!" Gordon's thoughts resounded in his own mind, but no words came from his mouth.

"Come along now Doctor Freeman... that time has... come again..."

The light softly returned to where there was only darkness. The bird suspended above suddenly sprang to life and flew off into the morning sky. Dew drops dripped down off of the blades of grass and glistened on the leaves of the trees. The wind rustled through the forest as the leaves danced on their gentle breeze.

Scattered bodies, and mangled metal parts covered the road as a testament to the preceding battle, leaving the aforementioned sight perfectly intact, save for one thing; the presence of an orange armor clad figure.

"We've gotta be close, it sounded like it came fr..." Alyx stopped mid-sentence as she slammed on the brakes, causing the tires to skid on the slick road. "Look!" Alyx yelled out frantically as she threw the door open, and dashed out of the truck to inspect the carnage that caught her eye.

She looked around frantically, hoping to spot some sign of Gordon, as the vortigaunt too climbed out of the truck to join her in her search.

"Gordon! Gordon!" She yelled desperately, but the only response she got was the mountain answering with an echo.

"Gordon!" She continued to shout, as she walked closer toward the mangled bodies of the Combine forces intertwined with bits and pieces of splattered antlions.

"Dog!" She cried out, spotting her faithful robotic companion laid out on the ground. She ran over to him, praying that her fears would not prove true.

"Dog! Wake up! Oh god!" She inspected him feverishly hoping that at any moment his head would playfully pop up as if to say "I got you!"

The vortigaunt rushed over to her side as she examined her pet.

"Ok..." she said with a sigh, still in a panic but slowly calming down. "His left arm servo motor has been damaged, and his primary buffer panel is missing but everything else seems to be intact." She explained to the vortigaunt. "The impact must have caused him to go into emergency shutdown, as long as his core memory hasn't been damaged he should be fine."

Alyx looked over at the vortigaunt, with a concerned demeanor. "Would you mind giving him a jumpstart? A small jolt should do the trick."

The vortigaunt nodded. "The Alyx Vance must stand back." He said as he closed his eyes and positioned his hand over Dog.

A brilliant green stream of electricity shot out from him and fuzed itself into Dog's inner workings. Dog twitched and various mechanical noises resonated from deep within his robotic structure. Realizing that would be enough, the beam of energy ceased from the vorts hand as he lowered it back down.

Like a loved one in a hospital waiting room, waiting to hear some sort of absolution, Alyx waited. Hoping that her friend would return to her.

"Please... please..." she said to herself as she awaited some sign of life.

The panels surrounding Dog's head slowly started to move back and forth causing Alyx to gasp happily. Still laying on the ground, he slowly turned his head and locked his optic lens onto her.

"Dog?" She asked excitedly hoping that he was really okay. Dog let out a loud mechanical buzz, that was easily recognized by Alyx.

"Oh Dog, you're ok!" She exclaimed, quickly embracing his sturdy mechanical frame. "You had me so worried boy! What are you doing way out here? I thought you were still back at White Forest." She asked, ecstatic that Dog was alright.

He softly returned her embrace, being ever so careful not to harm her with his tremendous strength. Letting go, she began to pet the smooth metallic panels on his head.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She pleaded with him before embracing him a second time, and then letting go yet again.

Dog slowly got to his feet as a plethora of sparks shot out from his robotic shoulder joint, causing his left arm to go limp.

"Easy, easy!" she warned him. "You're left arm servos are shot, I'll fix 'em up when we get back to White Forest."

The joy she had gotten from knowing that Dog at least was alright distracted her from the notion of finding Gordon, for a moment at least. As she turned back around, keeping a vigilant eye on Dog, she noticed the yellow overturned Charger.

"Oh god, Gordon!" She yelled out as she ran toward the car, expecting to find a mangled Gordon Freeman underneath. "Gordon? Gordon?" she searched frantically but there was no sign of him. She let out a sigh of relief, knowing at least that he wasn't here.

"Dog." She turned back to her amicable robot companion. "Were you here with Gordon? Was he fighting the Combine?" She inquired, hoping Dog would shed some light on Freeman's whereabouts. Dog nodded and took a long look around for himself.

"Dog, what happened? Where's Gordon?" Alyx asked, nearly in tears. Dog looked at her, before bolting off towards the wreckage of the strider.

With the use of only one arm, he dug deep into the debris and with Atlas-like strength lifted the wreckage up, high over his head. Dog inspected the ground beneath wrecked strider, thinking that perhaps Gordon had gotten caught under the falling debris. But again, there was no sign of him.

"Gordon!" Alyx cried out again, her eyes now glazed over. "Gordon!" But again, the only response she got was from the teasing mountains.

The three scoured the area, searching the wreckage for any sign of The One Free Man, but finding none. As she searched, Alyx spotted Gordon's famed crowbar. She bent over to pick it up.

"He's gonna need this when I find him..." She uttered to herself with a trembling voice.

The vortigaunt stopped and looked at her, he closed his multiple eyes and brought his hands together. Suddenly he was bathed in a brilliant lavender glow as he began a strange vortal incantation.

"Chaum chaum... Bog'lek... Gallam galla gilla ma."

Alyx looked on, not knowing what exactly the vortigaunt was trying to accomplish, but hoping that whatever it was it would succeed. Just then, the vortigaunt stopped, his color returned as he let his arms drop back down to his sides.

"I... I cannot sense The Free Man." The words brought a grimace to Alyx's face and a knot to her throat as they hit her like a freight train.

"No..." she whispered to herself, shaking her head.

"He is no longer of this world..." The vortigaunt asserted with deep remorse, bowing his head in lament.

Alyx dropped to her knees...

"Gordon..." she uttered to herself. "How could you leave me too..." she closed her eyes as streams of tears flooded out.

"How could you leave me?" She yelled out in anguish, as Dog and the vortigaunt looked on, silently sharing in her sorrow. She looked down at his crowbar in her trembling hands, dotting it with her tears.

"My Gordon..." she whispered to herself as she clenched his crowbar tightly, and held it to her heart, sobbing quietly. "Please, not my Gordon..."


	6. Chapter 6: 179 Years Later

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 6: 179 Years Later...**

Sparks flew off of large lose wires hanging from the ceiling. There was a collapsed girder blocking the entrance, carefully he moved it aside, propping it up on the nearby wall as he walked into the ravaged communications room. He wore somewhat tattered dark gray full body armor, with an insignia on the chest that read "N7". The platform before him lit up as he walked onto it, causing a flicker of lights which manifested itself into the image of a person.

"Shepard..." The holographic figure began, with a look of utter discontent on his face. "You're making it a habit of costing me more than time and money..." He said as he lightly dusted the excess ashes off of his cigarette into a nearby ashtray.

His eyes were steely blue, and emitted a strange, almost demonic glow, as part of some sort of prosthetic or ocular implant.

"Too many lives were lost at that base..." Commander John Shepard replied, waving his hand in a disregarding manner. "I'm not sorry it's gone." He asserted.

"The first of many lives!" rebutted the strange illusive hologram before the Commander. "The technology from that base could have secured human dominance in the galaxy, against the Reapers and beyond..."

"Human dominance? Or just Cerberus?" Shepard demanded taking a commanding step forth.

Slowly the steely eyed figure stood up from his chair, and walked toward the hologram of Shepard, on his end of the communication link.

"Strength for Cerberus is strength for every human..." He affirmed with an abundance of self assurance. "Cerberus IS humanity! I should have known you'd choke on the hard decisions... too idealistic from the start!" He waved Shepard off, clearly aggravated with his previous actions.

"I'm not looking for your approval..." Shepard replied with complete indifference over the hologram's irritation. "Harbinger is coming, and he won't be alone. Humanity needs a leader who's looking out for them. From now on, I'm doing things my way... whether you agree or not."

"Don't turn your back on me Shepard!" Furiously warned the antagonized hologram, with deep hostility in his voice and in his demonic blue eyes. "I made you! I brought you back from the dead."

"Joker, lose this channel." He said, no longer speaking to the illusive hologram, and slowly walked off of the communication platform, with a sly grin on his face, as the hologram slowly dissipated into a blur of static before it was gone...

Not having had a moments peace, since he and his crew had done the impossible, it felt good for him to finally be out of his burdensome armor. Everyone on board was busy with some task or another, hastily trying to bring the damaged state-of-the-art starship back to full working capacity.

As he walked down the wrecked halls and corridor of the once gleaming interior, crew member that spotted him stopped and showed their respect with a salute. He reciprocated with a slight nod, as if to say "carry on."

As he continued his inspections, he spotted his fellow combatant squad members, tending to their weapons, as well as performing any job necessary to get the ship back in full working condition. It was a squad comprised of the best the galaxy had to offer, alien and human alike, all championing the same cause.

Once they noticed him, in a tremendous show of respect and admiration, they simultaneously stopped and acknowledged him with a nod, which among warriors is as reverent as one can get.

"Commander." He heard, as a nearby bearded man, wearing a cap with "SR2" on it, stood up and limped over to him, handing him a data pad.

On it, was the structural readout of a large, insect like race of alien.

"What's this?" Shepard questioned, not entirely sure what to make out of the information on the data pad.

"Structural schematics of your average reaper." The slender, bearded man replied. "It's data that EDI managed to extract from the Collector base while you guys were in there."

Shepard looked up from the data pad, and peered out into the blackness of space, blanketed with stars. There was no window there, instead a massive hull breach, temporarily sustained with a biotic energy shield. As he stared out, a slight chill ran down his spine; he knew that their success in destroying the Collector's base would be a slight setback at best for the true threat of the galaxy. They were out there, somewhere.

"Commander?" the bearded man questioned, snapping Shepard out of his deep state of thought.

"Sorry Joker" Shepard replied. "Just thinking about whats ahead."

"Yeah I hear ya..." Joker replied.

"Anyway" Shepard began, looking back down at the data pad in his hands. "Anything useful from these readouts? Anything we can use?"

"Well..." Joker replied dolefully, as he scratched the back of his head. "Not really... nothing we didn't already know. They don't really have much in the way of weak spots. Only real way to take 'em down is to"

"Completely unload on 'em." Shepard interjected, finishing Joker's sentence.

"Right..." Joker continued. "But, the readings also show that the Reapers seem to emit a strange energy signature, one not seen before."

"Hmm..." Shepard uttered, as he contemplated the information given to him. "There must be some way we can use this, but it can wait..." He affirmed, disregarding the data pad. "Joker, set a course for the Citadel." he said to Joker with a smile before he turned his attention to a nearby information terminal.

"Aye Sir!" Joker responded happily, as he rushed out of the room to the nearby elevator.

"EDI..." Shepard called out, as a holographic blue sphere emerged from the terminal.

"Yes Commander." the sphere responded with a soft feminine voice.

"Put me through over the loudspeaker, I have something to say to the crew."

"Putting you through now Commander" EDI responded, as she faded back into the terminal she originated from.

"This is Commander Shepard." He began, as his voice echoed throughout the entirety of the ship. Everyone on board, who had busied themselves, stopped dead in their tracks and devoted their full attention to their Commander's voice.

"Firstly, I want to say how proud I am of each and every one of you. Not only did we survive going through the Omega-4 Relay, which is something that no one before us had done, but we also showed the Collectors what this crew is really made of, and brought our people home. Now... it's not over... we can't forget the lives that have been lost getting here. And we can't forget that the Reapers are still out there. But now they know what they're up against!"

His words resounded throughout the ship with acumen, as they stirred up a deep feeling of pride and awe inside of every living thing on board.

"Each of you got on this ship for different reasons, but we're all fighting for the same cause. You've all seen what the Reapers are capable of... I can't fathom how many lives they've claimed over the millenia, it doesn't matter... What matters is this; it ends with us. If the Reapers want the Galaxy, they're going to have to go through US to get it."

His words sent chills down the spines of his crew, inspiring them for whatever treacherous roads lie ahead.

"But..." He continued, his tone of voice a fair bit lighter. "For now, the Reapers are going to have to wait. Your new assignment is as follows; Joker has set a course for the Citadel. Once we arrive, you are all hereby ordered to enjoy 48 hours of shore leave."

As his crew heard it, they erupted into a rabble of cheers, hollers, and applause. He laughed to himself as he heard their reaction.

"Joker, what's our ETA to the Citadel."

"ETA two hours, twenty minutes Commander." Joker's voice responded through the terminal.

"Alright, carry on as you were until then." The intercom cut off, as Shepard turned his attention back to the data pad, studying it intently as he walked into the nearby elevator, the silver metallic doors closing behind him.

* * *

"Citadel Control, this is the SR-2 Normandy requesting permission to dock." Joker asked via the Ship's comm radio, as he navigated the Normandy ever closer to the massive five armed cylindrical structure; roughly equal in mass to a large moon, or small planet.

"Standby Normandy." Came the response from the radio, as Joker awaited clearance. "Permission granted, you may begin your approach. Proceed to dock 483. Welcome back Normandy."

Joker nodded and replied, "Roger Citadel control, Normandy on approach."

He smoothly navigated the ship into the inner portion of the Citadel, passing entire city like structures as he made his way towards the docking platform, located at the base of the massive Citadel.

The Normandy slowly pulled into docking station 483, and six large circular grounding clamps closed onto either side of the ship, locking it firmly in place. A small jetway bridge, slowly extended from the docking terminal and connected with the ships primary exit, granting access to the Citadel, for its passengers.

Shepard slowly walked through the jetway, as waves of his crew members, human and alien alike, ran through it in a rush, cheering and howling the whole way. Many of which would stop and pat him on the back, as they passed, but too eager to delve into excess and whatever other pleasures the Citadel was known for, to do little else.

His attention remained completely focused on the data pad in his hands as he made his way to the end of the jetway. Suddenly, everything went black, as he felt two, three fingered hands, cover his eyes from behind.

"Guess who?" The soft, accented voice brought a smile to his partially covered face.

He turned his head, removing her fingers from his eyes, as he gently put his arm around her, embracing her at the side.

"Hey you," He began with a grin, as he looked at the small, hour glass figured woman on his arm. "Where have you been hiding?" He questioned playfully, as they continued to walk together towards the long line formed at the Citadel Security customs checkpoint.

"I was making some minor repairs to the drive core." She responded from behind a shining violet helmet, as she toyed with Shepard's fingers, hanging over her shoulder. "The damage looked a lot worst than it really is, shouldn't take me more than half a days work to get it back up to par."

As they got into line, he could hear the rest of his crew members talking amongst themselves about their individual plans for the next 48 hours.

"Might find me a hot little Asari number..." he heard from one of his male crew members in the crowd. It was a Turian, with a mildly scarred face. He was talking to two of the other male crew members, as he nodded his head with extreme confidence.

"So me and Yeoman Kelly are going to head to The Dark Star Lounge, to have a few drinks." The voluptuous Quarian on his arm spoke up again. "Well... obviously I won't be having any drinks..." She said as she tapped the front of her helmets faceplate. "But it's been so long since I've been dancing." She started to sway side to side on Shepard's arm.

"I didn't know you danced, Tali." Shepard responded cheerfully surprised.

"We Quarians are known for two things; our technical know-how and our superior dance moves." Tali responded, smiling under her helmet. "Why don't you come with us? I've seen your moves on the battlefield, I'd love to see how you handle a dance floor." She said with a laugh, as she hugged Shepard at the hip. "I'm sure that's where most of the crew is headed to anyway."

A look of slight disappointment came over his face as he responded; "You two go ahead, I have to stop by and see Councilor Anderson first, I'll catch up with you later."

"Oh" Tali replied. "Well I'll come with you." She offered.

"No, you two go ahead – have a good time. I won't be long." Shepard replied. "I just have some important information I gotta give him." He said, as he raised the data pad in his hand, back up for Tali to see.

"Don't take too long Commander!" He heard a woman say, as a red haired, green eyed woman of average height, seemingly appeared from out of nowhere, and stopped next to Tali, putting a friendly arm over her shoulder. "I might just take her away from you." She said with a sly smile as she and Tali laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind Kelly." Shepard said with a grin, as they continued to wait in line.

His Spectre status could have easily allowed him access, without having to go through the hassles of C-Sec protocol. But given the company he was in, he didn't mind the wait.

* * *

"Commander!" David Anderson exclaimed, as Commander Shepard walked through the door of the Human Embassy overlooking the Presidium, surprised to see him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He quickly stood up from the terminal he had been working at, and walked over to shake Shepard's hand.

"Just wanted to say hello to an old friend, sir." Shepard replied as the two shook hands. "How's Council life treating you?" Shepard asked.

A look of disdain and frustration came over the Councilor's face as he turned and looked out over the Presidium.

"Things are simple when you're a soldier Shepard." Anderson began with a sigh. "You have orders, and you follow them... But now... Things are just too damn complicated." He said as he shook his head, looking out at the civilians walking about the Presidium.

"Problems sir?" Shepard asked, clearly concerned over Anderson's frustration.

"No..." Anderson reassured. "Just the usual bureaucratic red tape. The rest of the Council is more concerned with keeping up appearances, than admitting that anything is wrong. The Reapers... The Geth... And now these attacks on human colonies. The Council is content with just sweeping it all under the rug and pretending it never happened."

"Yeah..." agreed the Commander. "The Council has never really shown to be receptive of the problems of the Galaxy... I guess that's why they have the Spectre's. But, on another note, I don't think you'll have to worry about the Collectors attacking human colonies anymore."

"Yes." Anderson replied as he turned to looked at Shepard with a sly smile. "I heard reports over the Extranet, of a ship being sighted coming OUT of the Omega-4 relay. A ship fitting the description of the Normandy. You wouldn't know anything about that? Would you Commander?" Anderson asked, as Shepard smiled subtly, saying nothing. "Something tells me the galaxy owes you a great debt of gratitude, yet again Commander." Anderson placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder in a sign of respect and thanks.

"Just doing my part for the Galaxy sir, and I didn't do it alone. I've got some of the best working with me. But that reminds me, I came to bring you this." Shepard presented Anderson with the data pad. "It's the structural readout of a common Reaper, I figure maybe the Alliance can make some use of it."

"Interesting..." Anderson replied, as he took the data pad in hand, studying it. "But won't you need it?" Questioned the Councilor.

"I've got the whole readout downloaded to my omni-tool, its also stored on the Normandy. I won't miss it." Shepard assured Anderson. "By the way, I noticed there weren't a lot of ships in Citadel orbit. Did something happen?"

"Oh..." Anderson answered. "The Alliance fleet has been keeping a close eye on their more lucrative settlements on the far edge of the Attican Traverse. What with the attacks and all. And the Destiny Ascension, along with most of the Citadel Fleet is still on its twenty colony victory cruise." He said as he rolled his eyes.

"Victory cruise?" Shepard asked confounded. "I heard they were finishing up their victory cruise a week ago."

"They've been finishing that cruise for six months... I fathom it'll be another six before they actually finish." Anderson said with a grimace, as Shepard shook his head, knowing the vulnerable state the absence of the fleets left the citadel.

There was a silence between them for a moment, as it was suddenly broken by the sound of the Embassy doors opening once again. A tall, dark skinned man with salt and pepper hair, wearing a white suit, walked in.

"Councilor Anderson." He stopped and bowed before he continued. "The human dignitary from Earth, you agreed to have audience with, is ready to see you." He informed Anderson, showing the utmost respect.

"Thank you Ambassador." Anderson acknowledged. "You may see her in momentarily."

"As you wish Councilor." The human ambassador nodded, and turned heading out of the room.

Shepard stood in awe for a moment after what he just witnessed. "Was that... Ambassador Udina?" Shepard questioned in shock.

"Hard to believe isn't it?" replied the Councilor with a chuckle. "He went on vacation to that new resort that just opened up on Virmire. Was gone for two weeks, came back a changed man. I think the vacation did him a world of good – helped him unwind."

"Virmire?" asked Shepard, clearly upset. "After Saren set up his krogan breeding facility there? They open a resort?"

"That was over two years ago Commander, a lot's changed since then." Anderson claimed, as he attempted to lay Shepard's concerns to rest. "Any remaining influence of Saren or his Geth has been washed away with the tide."

Shepard stood there for a moment, recalling the tragic events of that day. The infiltration of the krogan breeding facility, the first encounter with Sovereign, the loss of Chief Ashley Williams... And now knowing that this battlefield had become a place of leisure, he didn't like it one bit.

"Well..." Anderson broke Shepard's train of thought, as he placed the data pad given to him carefully on his desk. "I'm afraid I have this matter to attend to. But thank you for coming Commander."

Anderson stepped towards Shepard, extending his hand once more, as Shepard reciprocated.

"It's always a pleasure." The Councilor said with a smile.

"The pleasure's mine sir." Shepard responded with a nod, as the two shook hands.


	7. Chapter 7: Drinks on the Citadel

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 7: Drinks on the Citadel**

"Apologetic... I beg your pardon human." Came a monotonous voice from a large, sloth-like creature after Shepard bumped into it, turning a corner.

"No no, my fault." Shepard confuted as the Elcor slowly crept along on its merry, sluggish way.

He could hear muffled music, and the various galactic species walked to and fro around him, as he made his way through Zakera ward, towards the Dark Star Lounge. When he walked in the door, the muffled sound was suddenly replaced by the vivid, thriving rhythm of the room. He took a quick look around, seeing various members of his crew amongst the crowd, some of which were already staggering around as they walked.

"Ey!" A voice suddenly yelled out from near the bar. "Its Comlander Sheffer!" The inebriated voice came from Crewman Briggs, he being the first to notice Shepard had walked in.

The Commander smiled and walked over to the bar, as the room erupted into a roar of cheers for him. Shepard signaled at the Turian bartender, putting one finger up indicating that he wanted a drink.

The bartender nodded in compliance, as he tossed a twirling, silver canister in the air. Catching it, he shook the liquid within about, before pouring it into a small shot glass, and handing it to the Commander.

With drink in hand, Shepard stepped away from the bar, and raised it into the air. Intoxicated or not, every patron in the bar stopped to look to the Commander.

"Here's to the crew of the SR-2 Normandy! Finest in Citadel Space!" Shepard yelled out with pride.

The cheers returned again, supplemented this time with a round of applause, as the crew of the SR-2 Normandy downed their drinks.

The cheers slowly began to die down, as everyone went back to losing themselves in celebration. Shepard made his way back to the bar, and found a stool to situate himself.

"Some party eh Commander?" Came the familiar voice of Joker, as he raised his shot glass to Shepard from the stool next to him.

"They deserve it Joker" Shepard replied. "You all do, enjoy it." Shepard said with a smile, turning around on his stool to face the dance floor.

"Battlemaster!" A stern, but excited voice shouted, as a large familiar krogan approached Shepard, with a bottle clutched in his hands.

"You fight like a Krogan, show me you can drink like one!" insisted Grunt, pouring a drink into the empty shot glass in Shepard's hand. "Ryncol, finest on Tuchanka!" He exclaimed, raising the bottle and taking a drink.

Shepard raised his glass to grunt, and in a swift gulp, downed the potent concoction. Shepard grunted from the burn in his throat and shook his head.

"Hahahaha..." Grunt laughed, patting Shepard hard on the back. "Good stuff isn't it Battlemaster? Guaranteed to put scales on your chest!"

Shepard grunted again, with a cough... "I can do without the scales, thanks..." He replied, trying to get over the intense effects of the krogan liquor, as the two chuckled together before Grunt disappeared back into the crowd, ready to claim another Ryncol victim.

As he sat at the bar, he spotted Tali on the dance floor. She weaved back and forth so smoothly, as she floated across the dance floor, moving like liquid quicksilver. Somehow as he watched her, everything seemed to slow down. She seemed so happy, so carefree. After all she'd been through; nearly being exiled from the Flotilla, the loss of her father... it did his heart good to see her enjoy herself like this.

Just then, she spotted him in return. She rushed off the dance floor, towards the bar, taking his arm in hand and tugged at it.

"Oh no! Not me, you know I can't dance!" Shepard pleaded nervously with a smile.

Tali muttered something to him as the blinking light on her mouthpiece flashed, but he couldn't really make it out over the sound of the music and the crowd, but she continued to pull at his arm almost pulling him completely off the stool.

"Go on, I'll watch!" Shepard yelled as he laughed, trying to elevate his voice over the deafening room.

"Hmph!" Tali huffed as she let go of his arm, and turned to blend back into the dance floor, not giving Shepard a second thought.

Despite the loud music, he heard a slight chuckle as he turned to look at Joker with a huge grin on his face.

"Geth, Collectors, Reapers... nothing scares Commander Shepard!" Joker said with a laugh. "That is until you ask him to dance!" Joker cackled mockingly, as Shepard rolled his eyes, though obviously enjoying himself.

"At least I have an excuse Commander, brittle bones and dancing just don't mix."

"I'm good at a lot of things Joker." Shepard shouted over the crowd and music. "Dancing just ain't one of 'em, but after a few more drinks – who knows." The Commander grinned, raising his shot glass to his lips and drinking another mouthful.

The dance floor was occupied primarily by his crew. He watched as Jacob and Miranda danced together, moving perfectly with the rhythm of the room.

He also spotted Kelly dancing with Garrus. Kelly was a remarkably good dancer while Garrus... Shepard wasn't sure if he had just had too much to drink or if Garrus had suddenly developed some sort of turian inner ear infection. The point is he tried, which is more than Shepard had decided to do.

Off to a corner in a booth, he spotted Mordin Solus, his ships salarian scientific expert, deeply engaged in an apparently riveting conversation with Dr. Chakwas. He looked on all around the room, slowly picking out his crew from the common Citadel patrons, happy to see they were all having a good time.

"Shepard Commander" A metallic voice got his attention, as a bright beam of light suddenly shined brightly on his face.

"Legion!" Shepard exclaimed surprised, as he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the bright light from Legion's optical sensor. "I'm surprised to see you here, do me a favor though... Shine your uh, face in a different direction."

"We apologize." stated Legion as he turned to face another direction. Under normal circumstances the light from Legion's sensor wouldn't bother the Commander. But the darkness of the Dark Star Lounge worked well in intensifying the light.

"Don't worry about it." Shepard affirmed. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, I'm glad you decided to join us."

"Shepard Commander..." Legion began, sounding somewhat bewildered. "We are attempting to build a consensus."

"A consensus eh?" Shepard asked, raising his glass to take another drink. "On what?"

Legion took a look around the room, scanning everything his optical sensors could take in. "These strange movements, synchronized audio rhythms, they confound us. What do they mean?"

Shepard chuckled at Legion's quandary. "It's called dancing Legion. It's just a way to have fun."

"Fun?" Legion attempted to compute this foreign aspect. "We do not understand."

"Yeah fun. It's uh... Its a way to feel good, enjoyment." Shepard struggled, as he tried to explain the dynamics of fun to a sentient machine.

"Fun..." Legion replied. "Recreation. A disposition to find or create causes for amusement."

"Well said!" Shepard smiled, taking another drink.

"We are confounded." Legion started in again. "We see no purpose in this... fun – yet we fail to find it illogical. We cannot come to a consensus."

"That's because it's not illogical Legion." Shepard answered. "But there really is no major purpose for it either. It's just something we do. Gotta have a little fun now and then. Try it, who knows you might like it." Shepard smiled. "The first Geth to actually have a good time!" He said as he laughed, starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.

Various mechanical components within Legion's head motored back and forth as he attempted to compute the concept of "fun."

Just then, he turned around and walked straight into the center of the dance floor. Some of the other patrons quickly cleared a path for him as he approached, obviously uneasy around Geth. He took a quick look all around, spotting his other crew mates, watching their movements and their synchronicity. S

uddenly he started moving to the beat of the music, in near perfect harmony. His movements were stiff and rigid, yet glided smoothly, very robotic. From his place at the bar, Shepard raised his glass to Legion with a smile, as he watched him take command of the dance floor, the other patrons now excited to join back in.

"Barkeep!" Shepard heard as someone approached the bar behind him. He recognized the voice to be that of Crewman Hawkins. "Shot of batarian liquor." He ordered, took the glass of blue liquid in hand and came up next to the Commander.

"Hey Shepard!" He exclaimed as he patted Shepard on the back. "You have no idea how glad I am that you and the team came and pulled our asses out of the fire!"

"No one gets left behind Hawkins." the Commander replied as he turned to Hawkins with a friendly nod. "We're all in this together."

"I'll drink to that!" Hawkins exclaimed as he raised his glass, before gulping it down.

"As will I!" They both heard a woman exclaim with a soft Australian accent.

"Hey Miranda." Shepard acknowledged, as Hawkins glued his eyes to her perfect figure.

"Don't mind me boys, just getting a refill." She said before she waltz back out into the dancing crowd.

Hawkins let out a long sharp whistle, as he watched her walk away. "God damn!" He said excitedly, talking to Shepard. "What's a guy gotta do to get a fine piece of woman like that? Mmm... mmm... mmm..."

Shepard rolled his eyes a bit before speaking. "Why don't you go talk to her?" He said, almost sarcastically.

"You kiddin' me?" Hawkins bellowed. "What would a woman like that want with someone like me? Go talk to her he says... puhh..." He scoffed before going back to his drink.

"No I'm serious." Shepard advised as the sarcasm in his voice dissipated. "Go talk to her. I know she's not seeing anyone."

"How do you know that?" Questioned Hawkins, intrigued.

"Well... Some time ago, before the Collector attack on the Normandy, she expressed interest in me. She talked about how busy she was to ever really have a relationship." Shepard explained. "But she was interested. I was the one that told her I wanted to be just friends, due to my pursuit of a relationship with Tali."

"God damn!" Hawkins shouted with an outburst. "How the hell does a man pass up a chance at a piece of tail like that!" He beckoned as he shook his head. Shepard said nothing, not liking where this conversation was going.

"You're a stronger man than me Shepard..." He said as he knocked back another drink. "And for a damned, sickly Quarian no less!"

Shepard stopped as a look of indignation came over his face. He balled his hands up into fists, but let them sit on his knees, as he remained silent.

"Can't even lay a hand on 'em without them spikin' a fever." Hawkins chortled.

Without warning, Shepard stood up and grabbed Hawkins by the collar slamming him back against the bar. Nearly bending him over backwards. The impact caused two of the glasses on the bar to fly off and shatter. Even though the music in the room was still playing, everyone stopped dead in their tracks and looked as Shepard manhandled this young crewman.

"Listen, and listen good Hawkins..." Shepard said in a rage, standing over the shocked crewman.

The whole thing happened so fast, that before Hawkins realized what was even happening, he was already slammed up against the bar with a sharp pain in his back.

"Commander! I... I... I..." Hawkins stuttered in a panic, hoping to gain some amnesty.

"If I EVER hear you say anything like that ever again, you are off this team, off this crew, and I'll leave you in some uncharted scum-hole in a far off corner of the galaxy. Do you understand me?" Shepard demanded with a rage in his eyes Hawkins had never seen before.

"But, Commander I..."

"Do you understand me?" Shepard barked at Hawkins, cutting him off.

"I understand you sir!" He yelled out in a panic, desperately hoping Shepard would release him.

"Shepard!" Tali's familiar voice sounded, as she came up beside him. "What's going on? Let him go!" Tali pleaded, as she took his arm, gently trying to pull him off of the poor crewman.

Shepard turned to look at Tali, with Hawkins' collar still firmly in his grip. Noticing Tali he also noticed everyone else in the room, starring at him and murmuring amongst themselves.

"Shepard... please..." Tali beckoned him with deep concern in her voice.

Taking one last hard look into Hawkins' eyes, Shepard released him with a shove and stormed out of the lounge. Hawkins stood up straight, and watched the door slide closed behind Shepard with widened eyes. Physically, he wasn't hurt in the slightest, but his pride was devastated.

"Are you alright?" He heard Tali ask, but he said nothing, just stared blankly at the door.

"Hawkins?" Tali exclaimed, making Hawkins jump slightly.

"What? What? Huh?" The jumpy crewman responded.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"Nothing... Nothing, I'm fine... everything's fine..." He expressed nervously, trying to force a smile.

Tali was at a loss for what just happened, but clearly she wasn't going to get anything out of this one. She headed out of the Lounge after Shepard, determined to make sense of it all.

"I sure wouldn't wanna be you right now..." A voice came up alongside Hawkins, startling him.

"Not now Garrus..." Hawkins said shaking his head, clearly still shaken up.

Garrus crossed his arms, giving Hawkins a sly grin. "You know... I've NEVER known Shepard to get that worked up at anything that wasn't Reaper..." Garrus looked down and shook his head. "I wish you luck, you'll need it."

Garrus walked away, leaving thoughts of dread coursing through Hawkins' mind.

By standard Earth time, the day was well into the twilight hours, as Shepard stood over a balcony looking out at the Presidium. But on the Citadel, there was ever only one forecast; bright and sunny. He let out a long drawn out sigh as he thought about what just happened.

"Shepard?" A soft, soothing voice came from the balcony entrance.

He looked over to see Tali, the artificial light of the Citadel gleaming off of her helmets faceplate. She came up to him, and softly began rubbing the back of his shoulder.

"Shepard... what happened? Please, talk to me."

He stood silent for a moment, continuing to look out at the Presidium. Slowly he turned to face her, an ashamed look on his face.

"I just... just had a little too much to drink, that's all." He took her hands in his, looking down at her gloved hands resting in his. "I'm sorry you had to see that Tali..." He said, trying to make a mends.

"Shepard... I've seen you obliterate everything from mercenaries to collectors..." She replied dubiously. "A little barroom scuffle isn't going to bother me."

Shepard bowed his head and snickered a little with a smile.

"What bothers me is the look I saw in your eyes... Please Shepard, don't shut me out. Tell me what happened..." Tali pleaded sincerely.

Shepard sighed in frustration...

"It was just a stupid comment he made. Nothing worth talking about..."

Slowly, Tali moved up close to Shepard, placing her hands on his chest and looking up into his eyes.

"Tell me..." She said softly, obviously showing no signs of letting up. "I know it's bothering you..."

He looked back down at her masked face, into her luminous eyes glistening from behind her faceplate.

He sighed as he started... "He just made a comment about... not being able to lay hands on a quarian without them spiking a fever."

She looked at him for a moment. "That's it?" she asked. "Shepard, we're used to that, things like that don't bother..."

"It wasn't just what he said!" Shepard interjected, before she could finish. "It was the manner in which he said it... I'm not just going to stand idly by and listen to someone insult you Tali!" Shepard exclaimed, getting into an agitated state.

Tali continued to look up at him, saying nothing. Just then she put her arms around him, and rested her head on his chest, and he placed his arms around her.

"May I ask you something?" She asked, as they held each other.

"Of course..." Shepard replied.

"Is what he said, the thing that upset you? Or is it that it's true, and this isn't what you want?"

Shepard looked down, gently pushing Tali's shoulders back slightly, causing her to look up at him.

"Tali..." He started as he looked into her eyes. "I told you once, that I didn't want anyone else – I wanted you, and I would do whatever I had to to make this work." He spoke with sincerity. "I meant it when I said that. I know that things may not always be easy for us... Nothing worth having ever is... But you're the one I want to be with. I love you Tali'Zorah." He declared as he lightly kissed the top of her faceplate.

"Shepard..." She uttered as she slowly placed her head back on his chest, and they both looked out at the Presidium.

"Mind if I ask YOU something?" Shepard asked, as he held Tali.

"Of course" Tali replied, feeling utterly at home in Shepard's arms.

"How long do you plan on calling me Shepard?" He said with a smile, as she looked up at him.

"Oh... well... Shepard's all I've ever called you." She answered. "What would you like me to call you?"

"I don't know. John would be nice." He said with a smile as they stared at each other.

"Okay... John." She said as they both laughed warmly.

They were silent for a moment, looking out at the false lakes of the Presidium, perfectly content just being held by each other.

"So..." He said, breaking the silence. "Think I was too rough on Hawkins?"

The question made Tali laugh as she thought about the tiff.

"Maybe just a little." She replied sarcastically as they both laughed about it.

"You know what" Tali said, as she pulled herself away from Shepard, holding on to his hands. "Forget the crew. Let's go do something else. Just me and you."

"Like what?" Shepard asked, intrigued by the idea.

"Oooh! I hear that new film is playing at the Citadel Holomax. 'Blasto The Jellyfish Stings'!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Blasto the Je... Don't tell me you actually like those movies..." Shepard replied with a scowl.

"Oh come on Shep uh... John, it'll be fun!" She said as she tugged at his hand, as they both walked back into the Citadel ward.


	8. Chapter 8: A Strange Dossier

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 8: A Strange Dossier**

"Captain Connors Sir!" A concerned crewman called out to get his captain's attention.

Connors stood, gazing out at the blackness of space while sipping on a cup of coffee, a look of concern on his face. "What is it ensign?" He said, as he turned towards the crewman addressing him.

"Sir, something has to be wrong with our instruments." The ensign stated with distress in his voice. "These readings say we're on course, but there is no way this is The Horse Head Nebula..."

Captain Connors stood over the ensign, carefully studying his readouts. "Hmm..." he began. "Yes, it isn't my first haul to Noveria." He affirmed. "And I don't recognize any of this region... run a diagnostic, see if you can find the problem ensign." Connors ordered, as he turned his attention back to the window, taking another sip from his coffee.

"That's just it sir..." The worried ensign began again. "I already did. All scans say our equipment is functioning properly..." The Captain turned back to the ensign once more, this time showing significantly more apprehension. "But, I'm also getting some sort of strange interference, I just figured it was the Eezo we had on board... radiation bleed."

Connors took a moment to think about what course of action to take. He had a shipment on board of refined Element Zero and Omni-Gel en route to Noveria, a prime target for raiding parties and mercenaries in the dead of space.

"Send a distress signal to NDC. Tell them to send us a navsat position." The captain ordered. "We're sitting ducks out here in the middle of nowhere, we need to find out where we are and get our bearings."

"Aye Sir!" The ensign replied as he began to open up a radio channel. "Noveria Development Corporation, this is the SSV Aurora requesting a na..."

"Captain!" A nearby Helmsman yelled out in a panic, startling the ensign, interrupting his transmission. "We're picking something up on the radar sir!"

Connors rushed over to the Helmsman, looking on at his radar display. "What is it Washburne?" The captain asked stringently.

"Two ships sir! One significantly larger than the other... it's massive." The captain looked on at the two blips on Helmsman Washburne's display.

"Alliance?" Connors queried. "I don't think so sir..." Washburne replied. "They aren't registering as any type of Citadel vessel."

"Probably a damn Batarian raiding party..." The captain uttered in disgust. "What's their bearing?"

"Straight for us captain, and closing fast." Whasburne responded.

"Issue an alert, all hands! Ensign what's the status on that distress signal?" Connors shouted at the ensign who was still attempting to open up a communications channel.

"Trying sir! Getting no response..." The ensign replied, never taking his attention off of the equipment before him. "

"Well keep trying!" Connors responded with a profound sense of urgency.

"Captain!" The Helmsman yelled out again, as Connors rushed over to him. "We'll have a visual on the two ships any moment sir!"

Connors swallowed a gulp down his throat, as he turned and walked toward the ship's forward windows. Peering out into the darkness. Suddenly he took a deep breath, as his eyes grew wide with dread and terror. A loud shatter was heard as he dropped the cup of coffee he had still been clutching.

"Mother of god..."

* * *

"Ship's fully fueled and loaded Commander." Jacob Taylor informed Shepard as he watched the Citadel loading crews finish stocking his ship with supplies. "And all crew members on board and accounted for. Even Hawkins..." Jacob said as he laughed.

Shepard grinned and shook his head, as the two started walking through the jetway onto the Normandy, ready to get underway.

"I had a chat with Hawkins..." Shepard said as they walked. "I know I was a little rough on him, but my outlook on the matter hasn't changed."

The airlock door to the Normandy opened allowing the two access to the ships Command Deck.

"I hear ya Shepard." Jacob replied as the two were surprised to be greeted by Joker, standing at the airlock doorway with a data pad in his hand.

"Commander..." Joker greeted Shepard, with clearly something to discuss.

"I'll see ya later Shepard." Jacob said, pointing at the Commander as he walked away. "Got some work that needs doing. Thanks again for the leave."

Shepard nodded and pointed back at Jacob, before turning his attention back to Joker. "Yes, Joker." Shepard stated, waiting for Joker to tell him what he had on his mind.

"You received a new dossier from the Illusive Man Commander." Joker said, with a bit of uncertainty in his voice, as he handed the data pad to Shepard.

Shepard took the data pad in hand, not bothering to look at it before he responded. "The Illusive Man?" Shepard said with a scoff. "I'm surprised he's helping us at all, after I destroyed the Collector base..." Shepard shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk away. "Thanks for the dossier Joker, go ahead and take us out." He said as he began walking down the footway away from the bridge.

"Uh... Commander." Joker shouted, as Shepard walked away. "One other thing, the Illusive Man wants you to contact him as soon as you're able to." Shepard rolled his eyes, as he continued to walk. "And you might wanna take a look at that dossier!" Joker yelled, causing Shepard to stop, and turn to look back at him. Joker nodded, and motioned with his eyes for Shepard to read the dossier.

Shepard looked down at the dossier for a moment. A puzzled look came over his face as he began to read it. He furrowed his brow, trying to understand what he was reading, the further in he got. "Is this supposed to be a joke?" Shepard demanded from Joker, pointing to the dossier.

"Don't know Commander." Joker replied. "It was transmitted straight from the Illusive Man. He doesn't seem like the kinda guy who likes a good practical joke." Joker stated, shrugging his shoulders.

Shepard read the dossier over a second time, trying to make sure that he wasn't misreading it, but there could be no mistake. "EDI" Shepard called out, as the ships spherical blue virtual intelligence emerged from a nearby terminal. "Yes Commander." EDI responded. "Open up a line to the Illusive Man in the comm room." As he continued on through the command deck.

A flicker of static and lights flashed before Shepard as he walked onto the communication platform. In moments the static manifested itself into the form of the same steely eyed man from before.

"Shepard." The Illusive Man started. "I take it you received the dossier I sent."

"I did..." Shepard replied, crossing his arms. "I'm still waiting to hear if this is supposed to be some sort of joke."

"No joke Shepard." The Illusive Man responded, bringing his cigarette to his lips, and inhaling. Smoke poured from his mouth as he continued. "You are to recruit Dr. Gordon Freeman."

"Gordon Freeman died in the Earth Rebellion of 2006..." Shepard stated, as he waved his hand at the Illusive Man in disbelief. "Let me guess... You're planning to bring him back from the dead too? He's been dead a little longer than I was..." Shepard said sarcastically.

The Illusive Man brought his hands together, tapping his fingers against one another. "Not exactly Shepard, but you're not far off... I think it's time you learned the truth."

"Your version of the truth again is it?" Shepard scoffed with his arms still crossed.

"No..." The Illusive Man said, standing up to come face to face with Shepard's hologram. "The real truth... All of it. The Truth about Cerberus, the truth about the Earth Rebellion, and the truth about Gordon Freeman."

"I'm listening..." Shepard said, as he uncrossed his arms, bringing them to rest at his hips and intrigued by the Illusive Man's statements.

"I take it you know your history Commander..." The Illusive Man asked, taking another puff of his cigarette. "Gordon Freeman, The Seven-Hours War, Earth's Rebellion against the Combine?"

"As well as any human I suppose." Shepard responded.

"Good." The Illusive Man concurred. "Then I can start from the beginning." The Illusive Man turned away from Shepard and slowly started pacing about in a small circle as he began his history lesson.

"Cerberus has been around for over 200 years, but we haven't always gone by the name Cerberus." He started as Shepard listened intently. "We were founded in 1947 as a clandestine branch of the United States Government, after an incident in New Mexico gave the world irrefutable proof that humanity was not alone in the universe." He inhaled his cigarette once more, causing the light flame at its tip to glow vividly.

"Although we no longer work for any sort of organized government, very little has changed with our operations. The organization was to be kept strictly top secret. It did NOT exist. In order to sever any ties that any operative in the organization had, their names, backgrounds, and identities were stripped from them. Agents of the organization were given a number designation, while the head operative was given a Shadow Man Designation."

"Shadow Man Designation?" Shepard asked confused. "You mean a name like yours?" He questioned.

"Precisely." The Illusive Man acknowledged. "The very first operative in charge of the organization was known as The Shadow Man. Since then; any operative to take charge of the organization and its cells was given an SMD. Some notable operatives were; The Cryptic Man, The Unknown Man, The Reticent Man, The Mysterious Man, and so on."

"I see..." Shepard replied "So when did Cerberus actually become Cerberus? And when did you break off from any sort of government?"

"Patience Shepard..." The illusive Man stated, shaking off the excess ash from his nearly diminished cigarette. "I'm coming to that. The organization had the same purpose then that Cerberus does now; the advancement of human kind against any threat the galaxy may offer. Our resources have always been nearly limitless, tax payer money at work." He said with a sly grin before continuing again.

"In 1996, the organization funded construction of a state-of-the-art research facility in the middle of the New Mexico desert, with the purpose of advancing recent breakthroughs in teleportation research."

"The Black Mesa Research Facility..." Shepard stated as he nodded, recalling his history.

"Correct..." The Illusive Man affirmed. "The research showed promise, but the organization got reckless." He stated as he shook his head. "Probes had been sent through these portals, and many had returned with a rare new element, the scientists of this era took to calling it Xen Matter. We know it today as Element Zero."

"Xen Matter?" Shepard inquired with a puzzled look on his face. "Why did they call it that?"

"Xen was the name given to the planet used essentially as a slingshot for the relay. It was a planet rich enough in Element Zero to sustain stable portals." The Illusive Man answered. "A technology obviously mastered by the Reapers, evident by the presence of the Mass Relays. And a technology humanity was not ready for... A sample of 'Xen Matter' purer than any previously retrieved was recovered. The operative in charge of the organization at the time was one known as The G-Man. He was overzealous, and demanded that the sample be analyzed and utilized, despite every warning against doing so."

"Overzealous? That doesn't sound like you at all..." Shepard said sarcastically. "You're right, Cerberus hasn't changed much."

The Illusive Man turned to face Shepard's hologram once more, the angry gleam in his eye returning. "Don't insult me Shepard!" The Illusive Man barked. "And don't mistake my willingness to help you, for me condoning your destruction of that base... You have no idea the advantage you cost us, in your shortsightedness. But, despite your idealism, you're still the best hope humanity has. Now if I may finish..."

Shepard threw his hands up, saying nothing, to give the Illusive Man the grounds to finish.

"Now then..." The Illusive Man continued, with yet another cigarette in hand, as he lit it. "The G-Man was overzealous, he demanded the sample be used, which is what caused the famous Black Mesa Incident."

"So Cerberus caused the incident that almost led to humanity's extinction?" Shepard questioned angrily.

"It wasn't Cerberus at the time Shepard." The illusive man replied. "And the G-Man ratified his mistake."

"I don't know how you can ratify millions of human lives lost to a devastating war and the resulting rebellion..." Shepard said, crossing his arms with a new found disrespect for Cerberus. "If this has a point, make it... I don't need a history lesson. I'm still waiting to hear how you expect me to recruit someone who's been dead for almost 200 years..."

"Your impatience is understandable, however unwelcome Shepard... And this is all vital information. I assure you I have a point, and I'm getting to it." The Illusive Man glared angrily, remaining silent for a moment, making sure Shepard was finished, hoping not to be interrupted again. "A young scientist in the facility took up arms in a struggle to survive the ensuing flood of alien life forms that broke through the portal relay. His skills were noticed by the G-Man, in the same way that I took note of your skills. This young scientist actually managed to travel to the relay border world and close it off, or so they thought. When it was over, The G-Man put Dr. Freeman under his employ, much as I did with you."

The Illusive Man inhaled from his cigarette again, the embers bathing his face in an orange glow amidst the darkness. "Cerberus has always had access to cutting edge, state-of-the-art resources; Such as The Lazarus Project we used to bring you back from the dead. One of the other fields of research at Black Mesa was zero point energy manipulation... We know it today as Biotic energy." He walked back towards his chair, turning and sitting down slowly. "After the Black Mesa incident, The G-Man, taking Freeman under his employ, placed him in a biotic stasis field, until he was redeployed in 2006 in Eastern Europe."

"City 17..." Shepard stated, starting to understand. "Somehow I doubt that Gordon Freeman just allowed himself to get shelved for whenever this G-Man needed him."

"He wasn't exactly given a choice Shepard..." The Illusive Man answered. "Remember, we do what's in the best interest of humanity. We can't afford to be nice about it."

"What about his death?" Shepard queried. "Every history codex I ever read said that Gordon Freeman was killed in a battle with the Combine after they closed the super portal on Earth... Disintegrated by a dark energy blast."

"I'm coming to that Shepard." The steely eyed figure stated, releasing a puff of smoke. "Now, do you remember a Dr. Wallace Breen from your history codices?"

"Of course..." Shepard affirmed. "Humanities greatest traitor... Sold out humanity to the Combine, negotiated Earth's surrender after the Seven-Hours War. Killed in the Rebellion when Freeman destroyed the Combine Citadel."

"Correct." The Illusive Man asserted. "I'm sure you remember reading about the way he would preach how humanity was better off under the oppressive control of the Combine. How all he did, he was utterly convinced that it was in the best interest of the species. That he was doing it for the betterment of mankind."

"Yeah..." Shepard replied with his arms crossed. "So? He was a traitor."

"Who else did you know Commander, who fit that profile?" The Illusive Man inquired. "Who else did you know, claimed that everything they were doing was in the best interest of the various species of the galaxy, despite leaving a trail of destruction in their wake?"

"Saren..." Shepard said on the verge of an epiphany. "Are you saying that..."

"Breen was indoctrinated..." The Illusive Man said, finishing the Commander's sentence. "Just like Saren, just like Matriarch Benezia, and just like the Heretic Geth."

"What are you saying?" Shepard asked, clearly concerned.

"Commander, what history claims to be an unknown alien race, that tore open a doorway to Earth, and brought mankind to its knees; known as the Combine, was none other than what we've come to call The Reapers."

"That's ridiculous!" Shepard shouted in an outburst, waving off the idea with his hand. "I've seen Reapers. Nothing in any of the historical codices show anything that even remotely resembles a Reaper."

"And you've also seen what's become of the Protheans." The Illusive Man replied. "The Reapers turned them into Collectors. Adapted them for their purposes." He stated crushing out his second cigarette in his chair's armrest ashtray. "The modus operandi of the Reapers is sort of a hierarchy of enslavement. They will indoctrinate a certain species, such as the Collectors or the Geth, and use them in their destructive campaign to enslave other races in preparation for their harvest. Humanity came very close to suffering the same fate as the Protheans."

"But if what you say is true." Shepard began. "Then why did the Reapers never return to Earth after the Rebellion?"

"Our guess is that Earth and the Local Cluster had been unknown to the Reapers. The forces sent through the portal relay was a Reaper scouting party, 'advisors' as they had come to be called. Likely another species enslaved and repurposed like the Collectors. When mankind proved easy to subdue, they began adapting us to their needs. That is until Gordon Freeman sparked the revolution and closed the portal relay. We assume they never got any sort of fix on Earth's actual location, due to Freeman and Alyx Vance escaping with the contact code for the Reaper overworld in Dark Space. The only means they had to reach us was the super-portal."

"So Cerberus has known about the Reapers for almost 200 years, and you've kept this information to yourselves?" Shepard asked, sternly.

"You know the reaction you've gotten from the Council whenever you mention Reapers, Shepard." The Illusive Man answered. "Nobody wants to admit it, but the Galaxy is at war. We've been preparing for it ever since."

"So when did Cerberus actually become Cerberus?" Shepard asked, out of curiousity.

"After the Rebellion." The steely eyed figure replied. "After all forms of Government toppled, and humanity began to rebuild, the G-Man continued the organization, no longer affiliated with any form of government, and dubbed it Cerberus."

The Illusive Man brought his hands together, tapping his fingers against one another. "And now we come to Dr. Gordon Freeman – the man most directly responsible for saving mankind from a truly dreadful fate." Shepard's eyes narrowed as he took great care to pay special attention.

"As you said, Gordon Freeman was allegedly killed near White Forrest in a battle with the Combine. It was assumed his body was never recovered because he was disintegrated by a dark energy blast." The Illusive Man stated while nodding. "This is, however, not the case. After his battle with the Combine, The G-Man saw fit to recover Dr. Freeman until he would be needed once again. The remaining Combine forces on Earth were scattered and disorganized, they proved moderately easy to defeat in the coming months after Freeman's 'demise'. So there had been no need for him to be reactivated."

"So he's still in stasis somewhere?" Shepard asked astounded. "It's been a hundred and eighty years, there's no way someone could survive that long, even in cryogenic stasis."

"A hundred and seventy-nine actually, and not cryogenic, biotic." The Illusive Man continued. "His records had been long disregarded and forgotten by any Shadow Man, but as I've been going through Cerberus' files to try and find any edge I can give you against the Reapers, I found this. According to the records he is being contained at a completely self-sufficient underground facility in the Nevada Desert. The facility, and his stasis chamber, should have a functional lifetime of more than 500 years. I've transmitted the coordinates to EDI."

"Won't this be a bit of a shock to him?" Shepard queried. "Waking up a hundred and seventy-nine years in the future? I thought it was bad waking up and losing track of TWO years..."

"Yes, I imagine so... I have no way of knowing how he'll react to the shock, nor do I have any sort of guarantee that the facility is still there and actually operational." The Illusive Man said, standing up and turning to face the bright red star dwarf outside his window. "But this is the man who led a handful of rebels against the greatest threat Earth has ever known and won. The only other man, besides you to have ever claimed victory against the Reapers. If he truly is alive, you'll need his help."

Shepard said nothing, he simply nodded as he turned and walked off the communication platform. He reentered the command deck, and approached the ship's Galaxy Map. "Joker... Set a course for Earth."


	9. Chapter 9: The Recovery

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 9: The Recovery**

"Aye Commander..." Joker responded over the intercom, a tinge of bewilderment in his voice. "Setting a course for Earth." Shepard nodded and turned to walk away from the galaxy map. "Commander..." Joker's voice sounded in again, causing Shepard to stop and turn back around, turning his eyes upward. "So uh... What's the deal?" Joker inquired. "The Illusive Man got a time machine or something...? Why Earth?"

"You read the dossier Joker." The Commander replied. "We're going to Earth to see about recruiting Gordon Freeman."

"Gordon Freeman!" Kelly Chambers exclaimed after hearing Shepard's statements, looking up from her work terminal near the galaxy map. "How odd, someone named just like that war hero from that rebellion on Earth all those years ago." She chuckled, shaking her head, and lowering it back down to delve back into her work.

"Uh... not exactly Kelly." Shepard said addressing the yeoman, and aware that Joker was still listening over the ship's intercom. "Supposedly, Gordon Freeman wasn't really killed in the Rebellion on Earth. He was put into suspended animation by Cerberus, well the organization that eventually became Cerberus anyway."

Kelly stopped what she was doing, and looked on as Shepard spoke, her eyes narrowing in an attempt to understand what her Commander was explaining. "So we're recruiting the actual Gordon Freeman?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well..." Shepard said shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. "Possibly... Even if what The Illusive Man told me is true, I have serious doubts that anyone can survive in stasis for almost a hundred and eighty years..."

"Hahaha!" Joker's laugh came over the intercom. "Who else does Cerberus have locked away in the freezer?" Joker continued sarcastically. "While we're at it, why don't we recruit General Patton... Or George Washington. Hell, we'll even get King Arthur!" Joker said as he cackled over the intercom, causing Shepard to roll his eyes.

Not affected in the slightest by Joker's ramblings, Kelly just stood in shock over Shepard's statements. "But... I read he died... Everyone read he died..." Kelly began, completely flabbergasted. "How can he still be alive? How are you going to recruit him? How did Cerberus..."

"Kelly... Kelly..." Shepard interjected, interrupting her battery of inquiries. "I know you have questions, I do too... I'm not exactly sure what we can expect to find. But I'll try and answer all of your questions later, alright?" He reassured her, turning his attention back to the intercom.

"Joker." Shepard called out with his eyes facing upward, not particularly focused on anything. "Yeah, Commander." Joker responded, traces of his laughter still evident in his voice. "What's our ETA to Earth?" Shepard asked. "Uh, We're about eight minutes from the relay, once we hit it, I say about uh... thirty-three minutes. So we're look at about forty minutes or so." Joker responded, the laughter now dissipated from his voice as he calculated their time of arrival. "Thank you Joker." Shepard replied, turning around to finally walk away from the galaxy map and off of the command deck; leaving Kelly to her work, the puzzled look still plastered on her face.

"Tali." Shepard said aloud, as he walked into Mordin Solus' Tech Laboratory, surprised to see her there. "Oh, hello John." She responded, looking towards him, as Mordin seemed to be doing some sort of scans upon her with his omni-tool. As she said his name, it still didn't seem natural to her, but he enjoyed the sound of hearing her say it. "Is everything alright?" Shepard said as he slowly walked into the lab, clearly concerned that perhaps Tali had come down with something.

"Splendid!" the Salarian interjected abruptly. "Believe I may be on the cusp of solving Quarian immune system problem." He spoke out with a very rapid string of wording. "Taking extra readings, need more data. Treatment still in early stages, likely to cause paralysis or comatose state... much more work needed." He claimed, shaking his head. "Thank you Tali, we're through for now." Tali nodded her head as she walked towards Shepard, who clearly had some reservations about Mordin's so called treatment.

"I trust you aren't planning to test this 'treatment' of yours on Tali, Mordin..." He said sternly, crossing his arms. "No no." Mordin replied, looking into his V.R. Holoscope. "Simply, needed some Quarian physiological readings."

"Don't worry John." Tali started in, placing her hand on his crossed forearm. "Mordin just asked me to come up because he wanted to take some scans." The scowl on Shepard's face slowly faded, as he uncrossed his arms, smiling slightly. "I know..." Shepard replied. "Mordin's 'cures' just worry me, I think we all remember the skale-itch fiasco." He said, as they both laughed causing Mordin to look up and shake his head.

"Actually Tali, while you're here. I wonder if you could do me a favor." Shepard asked Tali, as she rested her hands on his shoulder, leaning on him. "We don't have any more room in the crew quarters do we?" He asked, fairly certain of the answer. "No, I don't think so, why?" "We got a new dossier from the Illusive Man, I wonder if you can do me a favor and set a place for him in the Port Observation Deck." He answered.

"Of course." She replied. "Who is it? Turian? Krogan? Asari?" She questioned intently, as she took Shepard's hand and playfully began swinging it back and forth. "Just an old human war hero, from Earth..." He responded, not fully believing himself as he said it. "Okay, I'll get to it right away." She replied, satisfied with the answer. He nodded and smiled at her in thanks, as they reluctantly released hands and she slowly walked out of the lab.

Shepard approached Mordin's work table, as he was completely engrossed in his work. "Have you got a minute to talk?" Shepard asked, as Mordin stopped and looked up.

"Of course Commander." he replied. "How can I help?"

"We're en route to Earth." The Commander started. "The Illusive Man has transmitted a new dossier. It belongs to a man who has supposedly been in stasis for a hundred and eighty years..." Mordin stopped what he was doing and looked up to face Shepard, as he heard the news. "What are the chances that he'd still be alive? Or that this facility would even still be functional?"

"Hmm.." Mordin said, as he pondered to himself. "Stasis... biological, temporal, cryogenic?" Shepard took a second to answer back, taking a moment to make sure he understood the fast talking Salarian's question. "Uh, biotic..." He replied. "The facility would have to be self-sustaining. Wind, hydro, or solar powered, perhaps geothermal. Geothermal probable. Sufficient energy, with little equipment exposed to the ravage of the elements." Despite the long length of time he had already had this Salarian scientist on board his ship, Shepard had still never quite gotten used to how fast he talked. It was a chore just trying to keep up. "Probability that facility is still operational, and the subject is alive... I'd say... thirty-three point five... no point eight percent."

"Great..." Shepard responded, less than excited. "So we have a one in three chance. Well, either way be ready. You'll be coming with me on the shuttle team when we reach Earth in about thirty minutes or so."

* * *

The small shuttle set down on the sand, as its thruster engines slowly powered down. The shuttle door flew open, and Commander Shepard stepped out, accompanied by the Salarian scientist and a Turian. "This is Earth?" Garrus inquired as he looked out over the long flat stretch of barren dismal wasteland of the Nevada desert. "Remind me never to vacation here..." He said sarcastically.

"We're here to find someone, not take in the sights, Garrus." Shepard replied as he started looking all around the arid desert, searching for any sign of the alleged facility. "These are the coordinates, the entrance should be around here somewhere." The three spread out as they carefully searched the sands for any discrepancies. "The dossier said the entrance would be a manhole marked with a Lambda symbol."

"This is probably a wild goose chase Shepard, there's nothing out here. I just see sand, and over there there's some more sand." Garrus complained, as he walked around, looking for this alleged manhole. "Besides, from what you tell me, this Freidmen..." "Freeman." Shepard yelled out, correcting Garrus. "Sorry, Freeman... Is just another egghead scientist, and we already got one of those." Garrus said as he laughed, causing Mordin to look up over at him with a scorn. "No offense Mordin." He said with a slick smile.

The three were now separated a good distance, as they tried to comb the desert floor searching for the manhole. They were far enough now, that they had to shout a bit to hear each other. The heat would be intense for anyone, as the blistering sun glared brightly, hung high in the Mojave sky, especially for the three wearing body armor. Shepard stopped for a moment and wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. He turned to look back, seeing that Garrus and Mordin had both wandered a fair distance from their landing zone. Rather than shout, he opened his suits comm radio. "Head back to the shuttle, we've gone too far out – we should have found it by now." Shepard said into the radio, with a fair bit of disappointment.

Shepard slowly walked back towards the shuttle LZ, still scanning the floor in any area he may have missed, hoping he had just overlooked what he was searching for. The three began to converge on the shuttle when suddenly something took Garrus' legs out from under him.

"Damn!" Garrus exclaimed as he quickly scrambled back to his feet, looking down to see what tripped him up. "What happened?" Shepard shouted out as he and Mordin rushed over to Garrus. "Just tripped on a boulder." He answered, dusting himself off. Shepard looked down at the culprit boulder. His gaze narrowed as he crouched down to inspect it. Slowly he started brushing off the excess sand from it with his hands. As he did so, he revealed an elevated concrete protrusion. Frantically now, he started brushing the sand off of the top of the concrete slab, revealing a steel manhole cover marked with a "λ"

"This is it!" Shepard exclaimed, exhibiting an almost boyish excitement. "Hand me the cutter." he ordered, putting his hand out ready to receive. Mordin took out a small pen-like device, and placed it in Shepard's hand. Carefully Shepard began to cut around the inside edge of the manhole, as a brilliant red beam from the device, sliced through the steel with relative ease. A loud clang was heard as the steel lid fell through the hole, hitting the ground inside. Shepard handed the cutter back to Mordin as he switched on his omni-tool flashlight and shined it in the hole, peering into the darkness. He spotted a ladder, leading down into the depths. He situated his feet on it, grabbing the edge of the manhole and slowly lowering himself down, as Mordin and Garrus followed.

Three beams of light shone as the they attempted to navigate their way in the darkness. As far as they could see, it was a large empty room. Their footsteps echoed against the concrete walls as they searched for anything they could find. "Hey!" Garrus' voice resonated from a far corner in the darkness. "I think I found the light switch!" A locking noise came as Garrus threw a large lever situated on the wall. The facility suddenly hummed with activity as bright overhead lights turned on, revealing their positions to one another. The light also revealed a huge hangar sized door before them, as it slowly began to slide open.

The three slowly approached the massive door as it opened. Garrus, on instinct, quickly drew his pistol and readied it, as if preparing for combat, causing Shepard to look at him with a confounded look. "Uh... sorry..." Garrus said as he returned his pistol to his sheathe. "Force of habit." He said with an uneasy laugh as the three entered the cavernous installation.

It was a room fit to house a large aircraft, the entire Normandy would have fit with room to spare, but it was utterly empty. "Down there, Shepard!" Mordin exclaimed, seeing something on the far end of the giant facility. The room responded to his exclamation with an echo. The three slowly jogged in the direction Mordin indicated, seeing some sort of machine emitting a bright indigo glow.

"My god..." Shepard said in awe, as they neared the apparatus. "It's him... It's Gordon Freeman..." Shepard said in shock, now having a clear view of the machine. He was encased within some sort of blue energy shield, in a large cylindrical machine, as brilliant rays of light showered down on him. He had the look of a man laid out to rest at a wake. His eyes were shut, and he looked utterly at peace, completely oblivious to what was now happening around him. Beneath the protective blue energy barrier, he was still encased within his trusted Hazardous Environment Suit which was riddled with scratches, dents, bullet pocks, and dried crusted on blood.

"Is he alive?" Shepard asked, as Mordin stepped forth, materializing his omni-tool. "Fascinating." Mordin began, scanning the device. "Complete biotic stasis, total intravenous parenteral nutrition. Yes Shepard, he is alive." Mordin responded, continuing his scans. "He is suspended in very powerful biotic stasis field. Induced coma, suffering from moderate muscle atrophy."

"Coma? Muscle atrophy?" Shepard asked worriedly. "I thought he was in complete stasis, why would he need to be put into a coma, and why would his muscle mass degenerate? He doesn't seem like he's aged."

"In essence yes," Mordin replied. "Complete biotic stasis, but not frozen in time. Time has just slowed around him, what has been a hundred and seventy-nine years to us has been only a matter of weeks to him. I'd approximate about nine weeks."

"So as far as he's concerned, he's only been in there just over two months..." Garrus said, looking on at Freeman. "I guess two months of not moving from a single spot can wreak some havoc on a guys muscles."

"That's nothing that the Normandy's MMRC can't fix, what about the coma? Can he be woken up?" Shepard asked, moving closer to the encased figure before him, looking on with a deep respect. "Yes." Mordin replied still fidgeting with his omni-tool. "Once we disable the biotic field and disconnect him, the Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate should be out of his system within 24 hours. He should be awake by this time tomorrow, though likely not in the best of spirits."

"Hey Mordin, look at this." Garrus said aloud, as he walked to the right of the machine, noticing a strange device mounted on the wall. "It looks like some sort of strange weapon."

Mordin approached it, and began subjecting the device to his scans. "Amazing." He said as he continued. "It seems to be some sort of energy manipulator, capable of harnessing zero point energy. In essence, hand-held biotic power."

"Take it with us." The Commander ordered, turning his attention back to Freeman. "You can study it later. Now, how do we shut off the stasis field?"

"I still don't think we need him Shepard." Garrus asserted. "The guy looks like a librarian, I doubt he'd be much use in a fight..."

"Humans wouldn't be around today, if it wasn't for him, Garrus..." Shepard scorned. "Show some respect."

Garrus bowed his head slightly, feeling he had stuck his foot in his mouth, as Mordin approached the stasis chamber's control panel. He began turning various nobs, and sliding switches with a seemingly adept knowledge of the machine's functionality. Slowly the device's hum decreased as the brilliant blue light surrounding Gordon Freeman dissipated. The various tubes connecting to his HEV suit gently disconnected themselves, leaving him looking exactly as he did after his last battle with the Combine.

Without the force of the stasis field to restrain him, Freeman's limp body fell forward, caught by Shepard before he could impact with the ground. "Garrus, give me a hand with him." Shepard grunted, from under Freeman. "That suit of his must weigh a ton. Mordin, grab that energy manipulation device and lets get back to the shuttle."

"Easy, easy now." Shepard instructed Garrus, who was back out in the desert sun, as the two tried to maneuver the unconscious Freeman out of the manhole. "Watch his head."

Slowly Garrus pulled him up, locking his hands beneath Freeman's shoulders and pulling. "The guy stinks!" Garrus exclaimed. "Didn't he ever take a shower?"

"He's been in stasis for almost a hundred and eighty years Garrus..." Shepard replied, pulling himself out of the hole, with Mordin following; carrying Freeman's gravity gun. "He can clean up after he's out of the Muscle Mass Regeneration Chamber... Come on, lets get him on board."

The two carried Freeman onto the shuttle, as Mordin rushed on, and prepared it for take-off. They rested him carefully on one of the shuttles seats, strapping him in, as his head fell limp forward. The shuttle powered up, and slowly began to lift off the Nevada desert floor before taking off into the sky.

"Commander." A voice came in over his helmets radio, surprising him.

"Yes Joker," He responded, recognizing the voice on the other end.

"The Illusive Man wants you to contact him as soon as you're back on board, says it's urgent." Joker informed Shepard as the small shuttle broke away from the Earth's atmosphere.

"We're already headed back Joker. We'll be back on the Normandy shortly." Shepard acknowledged.

"Did... Did you find Freeman? Was he there?" Joker beckoned. "Was it true?"

Shepard looked across from him, at the armor clad figure hunched over in his seat, rocking back and forth with the turbulence of the shuttle.

"It's true Joker..." Shepard said, with a gleam of admiration in his eyes. "Let the crew know we're bringing Gordon Freeman on-board."


	10. Chapter 10: The SSV Aurora

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 10: The SSV Aurora**

"Shepard..." The Illusive Man began, as The Commander's hologram materialized before him. "Were you successful in finding Freeman?"

"We found him." Shepard affirmed, as he nodded. "He's alive, but he's unconscious."

"Good." The Illusive Man answered back, putting his cigarette to his lips and inhaling. "I have a feeling you'll need him on the road ahead." He slowly exhaled through his mouth, releasing a cloud of smoke as he continued. "Now onto the reason I contacted you; I've picked up a transmission, there's a lot of interference, so it's a little difficult to make out. But you need to hear this."

The Illusive Man's eye's gleamed vividly, as the static endowed transmission began to play. "To anyone... can hear this... Captain Andrew Conn... SSV Aurora." Shepard tuned his hearing as best he could to try and comprehend the message, missing large chunks due to immense static interference. "Are under attack... unknown vessels... is a massive... sect like ship... embling the one... attacked the... tadel... gational instruments malfunct... can not determine... location... anyone can hear... lock onto... ignal beacon... immediate assistance."

"Sect like ship?" Shepard said to himself aloud, as he eyes narrowed trying to decipher the message. "Insect like ship... Resembling the one that attacked the Citadel." He said, looking up at the Illusive Man, coming to a great realization. "A Reaper..."

"Yes..." The Illusive Man stated, with his cigarette clenched between two fingers. "That was my guess as well. The signal came from the SSV Aurora, a cargo freighter registered to a Captain Andrew Connors. It was scheduled to make a delivery to the NDC on Noveria, but it never arrived."

"The message said vessels, not vessel... Multiple Reapers?" Shepard inquired with a deep sense of seriousness. A distinct sound of concern resonating in his voice. "Were you able to get a fix on the distress beacon's point of origin?"

"Yes," The Illusive Man answered, sharing The Commander's sense of urgency for the situation. "I've already uploaded the coordinates to EDI."

"EDI." Shepard called out turning his eyes upward. "Have Joker set a course. And put Tali and Grunt on standby for the shuttle team." "Right away Commander." EDI's familiar feminine robotic voice acknowledged, though not showing her spherical blue self.

"Shepard..." The Illusive Man began again, as smoke left his mouth in droves. "I don't know what you can expect to find, watch yourself."

Shepard looked at the Illusive Man and nodded with a discerning look on his face, before turning around and walking off of the communication platform.

* * *

"Shepard!" Mordin exclaimed as The Commander walked into the Tech Lab. "This environmental suit is amazing!" Mordin was busy examining Freeman's tatter unkempt HEV suit on his work table. "Heads-up munitions display, geiger counter, electrically hardened exo-plating, and can intravenously administer morphine or anti-venom depending on the wearers vital signs. Truly an antique ahead of it's time."

Shepard looked on at the suit, as Mordin probed and prodded it, learning all its internal secrets. "I take it Dr. Freeman is in the MMRC then?" Shepard asked, looking up from the suit to face Mordin.

"Yes." Mordin replied. "Dr. Chakwas is looking after him in the Medical Bay. Should be unconscious another 18 to 20 hours, muscle mass regeneration should take no more than eight... Hmm..." He said, never once diverting his attention from the HEV suit to look up at The Commander. "With modifications, should be able to add a medi-gel administration compartment, install kinetic barriers in place of the exo-plating, add a weapons dock, replace the..."

"Thank You Mordin." Shepard interjected, interrupting Mordin's rant. "That's all for now, I'll let you work." Shepard shook his head slightly as he walked out of the tech lab, and headed up to his quarters to don his armor.

A pair of black rimmed eyeglasses sat on Dr. Chakwas' desk as she stared silently into a microscope. On one of her operating tables was a large, silver, coffin-like, chamber, adorned with an abundance of indicator lights, and readout displays. Inside a man lay unconscious, bathed in brilliant orange light. He had been stripped down to the civilian clothing he was wearing when he emerged in City 17, a hundred and seventy-nine years ago; ragged old denim pants, and a perspiration stained yellow t-shirt that was originally white. The orange rays flowed back and forth over his body, strengthening his every cell, and rebuilding his muscular structure from the inside out.

Suddenly his brow began to twitch, showing the first signs of life in over a century. His eyes began to move rapidly back and forth beneath his closed eyelids. Just then, as if in a dream, he heard a voice call out to him. "Free Man..." His eyes continued to twitch rapidly, almost as if wanting to hatch from behind the eyelid eggshells that enclosed them. "Free man..." He heard again in his mind, unable to wake from his slumber. "Returned... The Free Man... Returned... Come..." He continued to hear in his dream state, as he lay immersed in unconsciousness.

* * *

"There she is Commander, The SSV Aurora." Joker stated, looking out of the Normandy's front windows as Shepard stood behind him, now clad in his dark gray N7 armor. The large freighter was surrounded by an eerie calm, drifting lifelessly in the black of space.

"The ship appears to be completely powerless." EDI informed from her terminal near Joker's controls. "However, due to interference from the Element Zero on-board, I am unable to determine whether or not any life-signs are present, or if the ship has any functional life-support systems."

"Why would someone attack a random cargo freighter, and leave all the cargo?" Joker asked, turning his seat to face Shepard, who looked on with a stern expression.

"Only one way to find out..." Shepard asserted, as he turned and walked away from the bridge, placing his full-face breather helmet on his head, and locking it into place with his suit.

The Normandy's large hangar bay doors slid open, as the small Kodiak Shuttle made its way out of the Normandy, en-route to dock with the apparently derelict freighter. As the shuttle made its approach, slowly it aligned parallel with the Aurora's airlock, extending its short jetway and docking with the ship. The three on board felt a large thud as the jetway locked into place, followed by a loud hissing sound as the airlock's pressure equalized with that of the shuttle.

Shepard, Tali, and Grunt all drew their weapons, nearly in unison as the metallic door of the shuttle slid open, revealing passage into the interior of the Aurora. "Be on your guard..." Shepard uttered from under his helmet. "We don't know what we're going to find." The three slowly walked into the freighter, weapons primed and ready. The airlock led into a long metallic hallway, one end led to the bridge, and the captain's quarters, and the other to the cargo hold, crew quarters, and the engineering deck. Most of the ships systems appeared to be offline, save for some dim emergency lighting.

"Over there!" Tali exclaimed as she rushed over to a fallen crew member on the floor. She quickly checked for a pulse, as he lay in a pool of blood, but to no surprise finding none. "He's dead..." She affirmed, lowering her head for a moment. Shepard walked over and looked down at the lowly, fallen crewman. "Pirates?" Tali asked, looking up at Shepard.

"Pirates wouldn't have left without the cargo, something else is going on here." Shepard replied, looking around, trying to make sense of things.

"Battlemaster..." Grunt called out, looking into the short hallway leading into the crew quarters. Shepard quickly rushed over to see what it was that had caught Grunt's eye. He looked in to find a massacre of mangled bodies, the walls coated in a layer of blood. Many of the crew still clenching at their pistols, as their bodies lay riddled with multiple bullet wounds. "It was a slaughter." Grunt continued. "These people stood no chance. What sport is there in that?" Shepard turned and glared at grunt briefly before looking back at the gruesome sight before him and shaking his head.

"Master knew Shepard would come!" He heard a rough raspy voice exclaim suddenly. He looked up to see that an overhead monitor, used to relay announcements to the crew, had suddenly come on. On the monitor, were three men tied together sitting on the floor. Each was badly beaten, and bruised; as they barely clung to consciousness, relying on the rope to hold them up, no longer able to do so under their own strength. Captain Connors, clearly distinguishable by his uniform, had a bullet wound through his shoulder, and was rapidly losing blood.

"Come to save humans! Shepard would!" He heard the voice exclaim again, this time revealing its source on the monitor, as a heavily armed creature appeared. Its eyes gleamed red, as it bared its sharp needle-like fangs. "Vorcha..." Grunt started in, as he looked on at the monitor. "Vermin... worst than pyjaks..."

"The Vorcha were working for the collector's on Omega." Shepard replied, still looking at the creature snarl and growl on the screen. "They must be working directly for the Reapers now."

"That's the drive core behind them." Tali stated, joining the other two as they looked on at the monitor. "They're in Engineering... you know this is a trap..." She said, looking over at Shepard.

"I know." Shepard affirmed with an iron resolve, as he turned to walk out of the blood splattered room, removing the safety from his rifle. Before he even had a chance to turn the corner, a battery of gunfire opened on them from the hall leading into the Engineering Deck, forcing them to keep refuge near the crew quarters. "They're trying to bottleneck us." Shepard stated, as he attempted to devise a strategy.

"Allow me to deal with the vermin, Battlemaster." Grunt stated, cocking his shotgun and taking a step forth to turn the corner. "No!" Shepard ordered over the gunfire, halting Grunt. "I've got a better idea."

The entrance to the Engineering deck stood filled with Vorcha soldiers, letting loose a barrage of gun fire into the empty hallway, hoping to land a lucky blow. "Shepard die!" One of them yelled out as he snarled from behind his assault rifle. Suddenly, emerging from around the corner that Shepard's team had taken cover behind, came a large holographic glowing sphere. The low-brow Vorcha, easily, distracted by bright shiny objects, unanimously ceased fire as they gazed in awe at the combat drone floating before them.

As suddenly as the combat drone had appeared; Shepard and his team quickly popped out from behind the corner and unloaded a battery of gunfire of their own in retaliation, from behind the glowing orb. In a matter of moments, the entire squad of Vorcha peons guarding the entrance to the engineering deck had been neutralized.

"Good girl Chiktikka!" Tali commended her holographic companion, as the three rushed towards the Engineering Deck entrance. Shepard situated himself behind the little cover that entrance doorway provided, as Tali positioned herself on the opposite side. "Tali, send your combat drone in first to provide another distraction. Grunt, you go in after her drone and put down some suppressing fire." Shepard ordered his two squad mates, as the fusillade of gunfire continued from within the engineering deck. "After that, me and Tali go in and the three of us will take cover behind that control console. Understood?"

"Understood." "Understood." Tali and Grunt both answered, preparing to execute Shepard's strategy. "Go!" Shepard ordered as Tali's drone entered the room on her command. The drone away, Grunt then rushed in the room and began firing at the Vorcha near the drive cover, on the level above. Shepard prepared an explosive charge in his hand as he nodded to Tali, signaling to enter the room. The two rushed into the room, as Shepard tossed the grenade, adhering itself to a wall behind four Vorcha troops, near a ramp. The three of them then quickly dodged for cover behind the control console, as the small charge went off with a blast, instantly killing the two Vorcha nearest to the explosive, and knocking the other two off of the platform above, slamming into the deck below.

Two Vorcha troops emerged from the forward bridge area of the ship, looking down the long hallway at the ensuing battle in the Engineering Deck. However, rather than engage in combat, the two looked towards the airlock passageway, that connected to the shuttle Shepard, and his team had arrived in. They hissed and cackled as they approached it, with the worst of intentions.

Captain Connors, and his two crew mates we're being held captive on the platform above, which also housed the drive core and its primary control console. Two ramps on either side led down from this area, to the maintenance deck below, where Shepard and his squad had now taken cover. The remaining Vorcha had situated themselves up top, shooting downward, mainly riddling the back of the now useless control panel with bullet pocks. Shepard cautiously looked out, from behind the console and spotted a maintenance ladder below the above platform, leading up through an emergency hatch, as the gunfire continued to rain down on them.

"Master say we kill you!" The Vorcha, presumably in charge snarled out, as he relinquished his gunfire and made his way towards the drive core's control panel. Without a particularly adept knowledge of drive cores, he proceeded to turn every nob, dial, slider, and switch to its top most capacity, causing the drive core to hum and glow violently. Then he turned his rifle on it and opened fire, as a flurry of sparks erupted from the now destroyed control panel.

"Lay down some covering fire!" Shepard yelled out. "I'm going to try and flank them. When the fire in this direction ceases, rush up the two ramps, we should be able to fence them in." Grunt and Tali both nodded in acknowledgment as they carefully stood up from their crouched positions behind the console, to try and draw the aggressors' fire.

With cheetah like speed, feeding off an adrenaline rush coursing through his body, Shepard bolted over control console, and stormed forward, dodging under the above platform, and reaching the maintenance area. The lack of lighting, compounded with the impaired vision he already had from his breather helmet, made him nearly trip over a series of cables laying on the floor. Regaining his footing, he reached out and grabbed onto the ladder, and started making his way up.

Unbeknownst to the Vorcha attackers, who were laying down a steady stream of gunfire towards his squad, a hatch behind them opened up as Shepard slowly emerged. On the opposite side, near the destroyed drive core control console, sat the three men clinging to life. Behind him, was a window revealing the spherical drive core, which was humming and irradiating turbulently.

Shepard stood up and brandished his assault rifle, carefully taking aim at the Vorcha. About twelve of them remained, lined up along the railing of the Engineering Deck, firing downward. Not a single one of them wise to the Commander's presence. He squeezed the trigger, sending a bullet careening deep into the back of one of their heads. He squeezed again, and again, in short controlled bursts, neutralizing three more troops, as they finally turned around in a panic, to counter Shepard's attack.

Right on que, as the fire on them ceased, Tali and Grunt swiftly emerged from behind the control console, each taking a ramp and ascending it, firing the whole way up. In a panic, the Vorcha leader, seeing himself at a disadvantage, quickly made his way towards their hostages, preparing to use them as a last stitch insurance policy. Shepard returned fire, as Tali and Grunt closed in on the remaining Vorcha squad from either side, boxing them in.

At this point, only four Vorcha remained, not including the leader who had taken a cowardly position, behind his hostages. They were corralled in, back to back, as Shepard's team now enclosed them, fingers on their triggers.

"It's over, lay down your weapons – you don't have to die here." Shepard ordered, his weapon still drawn. The panic stricken Vorcha looked nervously at each other, as Shepard, Tali, and Grunt circled them, ready to fire at a moments notice. Suddenly the four hissed and bared their teeth. "You die here Shepard!" One of them yelled out as they prepared to open fire once more. Before given the chance, Shepard's squad opened fire, putting the Vorcha down like criminals before a firing squad.

"No!" A voice hissed from behind the captive men. He stood cowering behind them, his assault aimed directly at the head of Captain Connors. Connors looked up at Shepard pleadingly, a flush look on his face from the loss of blood. He didn't possess the strength to plead for help, but the pained expression on his face spoke volumes. "Not supposed to be like this! Master say we kill you! Earn reward! Make us strong!" The Vorcha leader hissed, as he held a trembling gun to Connors' temple.

"Calm down..." Shepard said serenely as he lowered his weapon, being cautious not to cause the Vorcha any undue alarm. "Just let those men go, and you can be on your way... I promise you."

"You lie!" The Vorcha exclaimed. "You... augh!" Suddenly the Vorcha clenched at his chest with one hand, as he began to tremble and convulse violently. He screamed in agony, never once releasing his weapon however. Suddenly, Shepard heard a voice resonate seemingly from all around the room. "I am assuming direct control." A deep, cold voice came, as the Vorcha's eyes suddenly became illuminated with a bright yellow light, looking directly at Shepard.

"Harbinger!" Shepard yelled out from behind his helmet. "So... now you're using the Vorcha to do your bidding, why don't you show yourself personally coward!"

"Shepard." The dominated Vorcha replied, his eyes glowing with the semblance of a demon, keeping his weapon focused on his captives. "Your species will learn its place. You cannot change the inevitable. We are your salvation through destruction."

Without warning, hesitation, or remorse; the possessed Vorcha proceeded to quickly and systematically execute the three survivors of the SSV Aurora, placing a single round through each of their heads. "No!" Shepard yelled out, witnessing the three innocent men get murdered. As he raised his rifle up once more, preparing to open fire, Harbinger's messenger turned his weapon on himself, placing the barrel directly beneath his chin and pulling the trigger.

The flare in his eyes suddenly dwindled, as his limp body fell to the ground. Shepard sprinted over in a hurry, hoping there would be some sign of life left in any of the fallen men. To his dismay, there wasn't...

"Damn it!" Shepard yelled out, as he punched the floor, knelt over the three corpses. "He's going to pay for all the lives he's stolen..."

Just then, Tali took note of the more pressing matter, she looked on at the severely overworked drive core, as it pulsated ferociously. She stepped around the three fallen men, to get to the core's control console.

"John!" Tali shouted out in a panic, as she tried to work the console, fruitlessly. The Commander stood up, and rushed over to her side to see what was causing her distress. "We have to get off this ship! He set the drive core to overload, it's going to blow in a matter of minutes. The control console's been destroyed, I can't stop it from overloading."

"How much time do we have?" Shepard asked, with pressing urgency.

"Four minutes, maybe less." Tali responded.

"Alright, back to the Shuttle, lets move!" Shepard ordered as the three stormed down the ramp, leaving the forsaken crew of the SSV Aurora behind, knowing nothing more could be done for them.

"Uh... Battlemaster." Grunt said, stopping and looking out a window, as the three of them ran down the long hallway leading towards the airlock.

"We don't have time for this Grunt, we have to get to the shuttle!" Shepard turned around to face Grunt who was staring intently out the window.

"There's only one problem with that Battlemaster, it isn't there." Grunt claimed, as he pointed out of the window, looking out to where their shuttle should have been clearly visible.

"You gotta be kidding me..." Shepard uttered out loud, as he looked out to confirm what Grunt was saying. He quickly opened up his helmet comm link to radio the Normandy. "Come in Joker, do you copy?"

"I read you Commander." Joker's voice responded quickly.

"Bring the Normandy around, and dock with the Aurora's airlock." Shepard ordered. "And make it fast."

"No!" Tali yelled out, surprising The Commander. "You can't do that, there won't be enough time. In the time it'll take the Normandy to dock with Aurora's airlock, and pressurize, the drive core will blow. There won't be enough time for the Normandy to break away. Both ships will be destroyed."

"Joker, cancel that order." Shepard radioed back to the Normandy without hesitation. He took a quick moment to assess the situation before radioing Joker once again. "Instead, I want you to keep a safe distance, and do your best to line up the Normandy's airlock, with the Aurora's. Make sure the Normandy's external airlock door is open. And keep at least fifteen-hundred yards between you and the Aurora. Understood?"

"Understood Commander." Joker replied back, as he took the Normandy's controls to execute Shepard's orders.

"Come on, run. We gotta get to the airlock." Shepard commanded his two squad mates, as they sprinted down the hallway, in the direction they came.

"What are we going to do?" Tali questioned as they reached the Airlock.

"Trust me." Shepard asserted, as he worked the control panel for the airlock door, forcing it to open. "Inside! Come on!" The three stepped in, as Shepard closed the internal airlock door, and began manipulating the control panel on the inside of the airlock. "Come on, come on, come on..." Shepard uttered to himself, working as quickly as he could. Suddenly there was a loud hiss as the feeling of weightlessness came over the three packed into the airlock.

The external airlock door flew open, revealing the vastness of space. Across the way, nearly a mile out stood the Normandy, its external airlock door open.

"We can't make that jump!" Grunt uttered under his helmet, as he backed up into the airlock, pressing his back against the internal door.

"Any object in motion, Grunt." Shepard stated, quoting Sir Isaac Newton. "You first Tali, you ready?" Tali nodded as Shepard grabbed her arm, to give her a little extra leverage. Getting any footing she could, she lunged herself forth, as Shepard swung her forward causing her to go flying straight toward the Normandy. Swiftly and gracefully she floated over to the Normandy, on course nearly perfectly with the open airlock. She put her hands out in front, to shield herself as she came into it, turning around and signaling the two that she had made it.

"Your turn Grunt, come on." Grunt nervously looked out at the distant Normandy, as he readied himself to go. He took a deep breath, and bolted forward, getting a little added push from Shepard. He flailed his arms around as he flew out of the airlock, no where nearly as graceful as Tali had been. Seeing the huge oncoming Krogan, Tali moved aside as Grunt came flying into the airlock. He slammed face first into the Normandy's airlock door. Not hard enough to cause any sort of damage, but hard enough to hurt his Krogan pride.

Shepard used the walls to force himself downward, against the lack of gravity. His feet planted on the floor for leverage, he lunged forward flying out of the airlock, perfectly aligned with the Normandy's. Suddenly, as he had gone out no more than five-hundred yards, the Aurora exploded as expected. The massive explosion sent a shock wave that rattled Shepard's teeth and sent him barreling towards the Normandy, at a much faster velocity than he had intended. He spun wildly out of control, as he came careening into the Normandy.

He grunted in pain as he plowed against the ship. His ribs slammed hard onto the edge of the airlock doorway, and his momentum began to carry him up above the Normandy, adrift into space. Quickly Tali lunged up and grabbed his hand as he quickly began to float away, but her small frame in comparison to his, stood no chance to keep him grounded. Slowly her feet lifted off as she began to accompany him in his drift. Grunt grabbed onto Tali's ankle, holding onto the inner edge of the airlock, as the three formed a humanoid chain, extending out into space.

Slowly Grunt pulled himself inward, pulling Tali and Shepard back down with him. Gently all three planted their feet back down onto the solid steel floor of the Normandy's airlock.

"Are you alright!" Tali asked Shepard, worriedly as she clutched at his shoulders.

Shepard shook his head frantically, trying to shake off the disorientation of what had just transpired. "Whoa..." He uttered out loud, clenching at his ribcage. "What happened? I didn't die again did I...?"


	11. Chapter 11: Settle Down, Dr Freeman!

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 11: Settle Down, Dr. Freeman!**

The loud, high pitched, buzz of the microphone made him cringe slightly, sending a chill through his body. "Testing... testing..." He heard one of his colleagues speak over the microphone, clearing his throat, as he adjusted the microphone levels. "Everything seems to be in order..."

"Alright Gordon, your suit should keep you comfortable through all this." He heard his other colleague, Dr. Richardson begin, as he examined the huge machine before him. He'd run multiple simulations, but this was the first time he would be working with the actual AMS. "The specimen should be delivered to you in a few moments. If you would be so good as to climb up and start the rotors; we can bring the Anti-Mass Spectrometer to 80% and hold it there until the carrier arrives."

Gordon moved around awkwardly, still finding it difficult to adjust to this bulky, cumbersome Hazard Suit. He still didn't understand why he had to use this damned robo-suit instead of just wearing a standard lead-lined nitrite rubber hazmat suit, but protocol was protocol. He made his way towards the ladder, welded onto the inner stainless steel wall of the AMS, leading up to a small observation deck.

Slowly pulling himself up onto the deck, he made his way to the AMS rotor control terminal at the end. Spotting the switch to activate the rotors, he flipped it, engaging the spectrometer sequencing program. A large turbine-like rotary engine, suspended high above the primary AMS analysis port, began to turn rapidly, as a loud hum echoed through the room.

"Very good. We'll take it from here." He heard Richardson over the intercom, a tinge of condescendence in his voice. It wasn't to be unexpected, he was fresh out of MIT, new meat for the grinder. Most of his other colleagues were well into their fifties or sixties. It was no mystery why the person he related to best in this facility wasn't another researcher, but rather one of the security personnel. He'd developed a sort of rapport with Barney, being greeted and let off of the Black Mesa transit system, every morning as he made his way to the Anomalous Materials Labs.

"Power to stage one emitters in 3... 2... 1..." He heard Dr. Thompson, his other colleague in the observation booth, speak as he followed the readings on his terminal. Suddenly a bright orange, electrical beam came from the emitter above the AMS, bathing the room in a brilliant orange light as it reflected off the metallic walls. "I'm seeing predictable phase arrays." Thompson continued as Gordon slowly made his way back down the ladder, his work at the rotary terminal being done.

"Stage two emitters, activating... now" Thompson declared as three smaller beams appeared from the emitters above, supplementing the larger one.

The intercom opened again as Gordon reached the bottom of the ladder, turning to face the AMS. "Gordon, we cannot predict how long the system can operate at this level, or how long the readings will take." Richardson urged. "Please... work as quickly as you can." Gordon rolled his eyes. He never thought running the AMS at 105% was a good idea, especially with a sample this potent, and potentially highly unstable. He speculated about the possibility of a resonance cascade, but he put his trust in the tenure and experience of his older colleagues. Besides, the likelihood of a cascade was miniscule at best. An unprecedented energetic event, that was little more than theory. Being a Theoretical Physicist however, made such things difficult to dismiss.

"Overhead capacitors to one oh five percent." Thompson's voice came in, as Gordon looked on. "Uh... it's probably not a problem... probably..." Gordon looked up at the small window of the observation booth, concerned over Thompson's tone of voice and choice of words. "But I'm showing a small discrepancy in... Well... no, it's well within acceptable bounds again. Sustaining sequence." The confidence in Dr. Thompson's voice slowly returned, however not returning for Gordon, as the seed of concern had now been planted.

"I've just been informed that the sample is ready, Gordon. It should be coming up to you, any moment." Gordon looked over, as a platform from the deck below ominously rose out of the ground, presenting him with the Xen Matter sample, he was to insert into the AMS. "Look to the delivery system for your specimen."

He hesitated for a moment, before walking behind the specimen carrier, and preparing to insert it. As he grasped the handles in his hands, a sudden chill ran down his spine, and a single icy bead of sweat down his brow. He could also feel goosebumps form on his arms beneath his hazard suit. He attributed it all, to first time jitters, as he slowly walked forward, carefully easing the carrier into place.

Suddenly, energy began arcing out of the machine violently, as the overhead capacitor beams interacted with the sample. "Oh dear!" He heard Thompson yell as he instinctively backed away from the torrential machine.

"Gordon! Get away from the..." "Shutting down..." Thompson stated, interrupting Richardson's instructions. "Attempting shut down..." He heard Thompson yell out, with deep concern as energetic pulses now shot out violently from the AMS's core. One came inches away from striking Gordon, who was backed away, against the stainless steel wall. "It's not... it's not shutting down!" Thompson shouted in horror. Suddenly a huge surge of energy pulsed straight into the observation booth. His two colleagues screamed in agony as a massive explosion rocked the entire AMS.

Suddenly, the violent maelstrom of light and energy was quelled... all he could see was darkness, and the only sound he could make out was that of his own heavy breathing. Despite the calm, he was terrified... he frantically looked around but saw nothing but darkness in any direction.

"The Free Man..." He heard a voice call his name. "You have returned..." He heard the same voice call out again. It was a voice he knew he had never heard before, but there was something familiar, something he wanted to recognize but couldn't. He continued to breathe heavily in the darkness, he could feel himself running, but as far as he could tell he wasn't moving. "Free Man..." he heard the same voice again. "Come, Free Man." The voice seemed closer now, almost as if echoing inside his own mind. Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him, the kind of feeling one gets when they are being watched. Slowly he turned around. There in the darkness, he saw the outline of a strange alien creature, it had smooth green skin, and multiple red eyes... "The Free Mas has returned..."

He heard the creature speak, causing him to open his eyes wide, and take a huge gasp of air. Suddenly, he was on his back... surrounded by a bright orange light. Feverishly, he tried to stand up, finding this impossible, however. He was enclosed in some sort of strange box... "Where am I?" He thought to himself, panic stricken. Just then, his memories came surging back; The Combine, The Advisors, City 17... everything. He moved his hands around, searching for a way out of this casket, no doubt a device of Combine design, created to be his tomb.

Dr. Chakwas was busy inputting information into her holoterminal codex, when she heard loud pounding coming from inside the Muscle Mass Regeneration Chamber. "That can't be..." She said to herself, astonished, as she stood up and walked towards the MMRC. "He shouldn't be awake for another 18 hours..."

Suddenly the pounding from within grew fiercer, as the MMRC, and the table which it lay upon rocked back and forth feverishly. Determined to get out, and not let this... whatever it was be, be his final resting place, he began pounding furiously against the steel enclosure. He slammed his open palm hands against it, and kicked at it with his feet, doing anything and everything he could to break free.

"Calm down in there!" Dr. Chakwas yelled out, trying to ease the tensions of the man inside, not fully sure if he could hear her. "You'll hurt yourself!" The violent thrashing from within the MMRC continued, and showed no sign of ceasing. Finally she came to the conclusion that she had no choice, but to let him out before he injured himself. As she extended her hand to the control panel, before she could lay a finger on it, unexpectedly the lid flew open rapidly with a loud crashing sound.

Garrus hummed cheerfully to himself, as he worked on some calibrations in the ship's Main Battery Room. Suddenly, he was startled to hear a loud crashing sound, followed by a woman scream. "What the hell...?" He uttered as he turned around in a jerk. "That came from the medical bay..." He said to himself, as he dropped what he was doing, and bolted out of the battery room.

Garrus rushed in the door, finding Dr. Chakwas backing away in his direction, towards the door. He looked up, and saw the man they had recovered, frantically looking around, clearly in a panicked state.

Dr. Chakwas jumped, startled, as she backed up into Garrus. "Oh, Garrus!" She yelled out, as she turned, revealing that it was only him. She side stepped him a bit, putting Garrus between her and the raving Freeman. "He's gone berserk." She told him, as she pointed at Gordon. "He broke out of the MMRC, I tried to calm him down, but he won't listen."

"Heh..." Garrus chuckled snidely. "I'll handle this." He reassured Dr. Chakwas, as he put a hand up, confidently nodding his head.

Gordon looked around, in a panic, trying to make sense of his surroundings. The lack of his glasses, made everything blurry and hard to make out. "What is this place? Where am I? What have they done to me?" His mind ran rampant, still utterly convinced that this was all the work of the Combine. Just then he saw a blue clad figure slowly approach him. It's face was gray, with strange markings and protrusions. Whatever this creature was, he didn't need glasses to discern that it wasn't human.

He took one foot, and took a step back, planting it firmly perpendicular to his opposite one, fortifying his stance, taking the semblance of a coiled cobra ready to strike. Slowly the blue figure continued to approach him.

"Listen buddy..." Garrus told Freeman, as he slowly walked towards him, extending one of his hands. "Just calm down, alright?" Freeman, glaring at him with his cold green eyes, all the while. "Just take it easy..." He said, as he reached out to place a hand on Freeman's shoulder.

Before he was able to lay it down, Gordon quickly swatted at it, taking Garrus' arm in his hands. Before Garrus even had a chance to react, Gordon torqued it back, causing Garrus to grunt in pain. The pained expression on Garrus' face was quickly replaced with one of anger, as he glared at Freeman angrily.

Garrus clenched his unrestrained fist, and quickly brought it forth, taking a swing at Gordon. If he wasn't going to calm down, he was going to be put down. Unexpectedly, Gordon foresaw the swing coming, ducking underneath, causing Garrus to hit nothing but the air. Gordon stood back up, Garrus' arm still clenched in his hands. Before Garrus was able to regain his composure, and line himself up for another shot, Gordon torqued his arm even further, this time locking it firmly behind his back. "Ahh!" Garrus shouted in pain, as Gordon firmly held his arm in place, contorting it in a way that it shouldn't. Taking the back of Garrus' collar in his free hand, Gordon proceeded to forcibly slam Garrus' face down onto Dr. Chakwas' table, catching the Turian completely by surprise.

"Uhh..." Garrus groaned in a daze as Gordon lifted him back up, only to slam his face back down a second time, with a loud thud. Dr. Chakwas' entire table rattled violently as Garrus' face bounced off it. Freeman released him, allowing him to drop to the floor, as he clenched his face writhing in pain, grumbling something profane beneath his hands.

Just then, Gordon spotted the outline of his black rimmed glasses on the table. Still panic stricken, he quickly grabbed them, put them on, and ran out of the Medical Bay, past Dr. Chakwas; who stood cowering in a corner, terrified after seeing Garrus get manhandled.

"EDI!" She yelled out, rushing over to tend to Garrus, immediately after Gordon left the room. EDI's blue spherical body emerged from the Medical Bay terminal as Dr. Chakwas tried to pry Garrus' hands off his own face so she could examine it. "Put the crew on alert!"

* * *

The Normandy's internal airlock door slid open, revealing Tali, Grunt, and Shepard crammed inside. Slowly Shepard made his way back into the ship, still clenching at his ribcage, followed by Tali and Grunt; who was already removing his helmet.

"Commander!" Joker said in an outburst, relieved to see them intact. "Are you guys alright?"

"We're fine Joker." Shepard replied, as he released the locking clamps on his helmet, causing it to hiss as he pulled it off his head. "A bit close for comfort, but otherwise alright." He hunched over once again, as he grunted slightly, clearly favoring his abdomen.

"Dr. Chakwas should have a look at you, let's get you down to the Med Bay." Tali told Shepard as she placed one hand on his back. "Nah, I'm fine." Shepard responded, giving Tali a smile to ease her mind. "Besides, I gotta contact the Illusive Man, and let him know what happened."

"John, that can wait... You need to..." Suddenly, the Normandy's alarm system went off, interrupting Tali, as red lights flashed on board. Joker gulped, as the alarms brought the horrific memory of the Collector's attack on the Normandy flooding back.

"Commander." EDI's voice came in, addressing Shepard. "You are needed on the Crew Deck." She declared.

A look of exasperation came over his face, as he let out a long drawn-out sigh. "Now what..."

* * *

Red lights flashed, as the alarm's wail echoed through the ship. Gordon made his way into the Normandy's Mess Hall, frantically searching the area, looking for some sort of indication of where he was, or how to get out. The gleaming metallic walls of the Normandy were reminiscent of those he had seen inside the Combine Citadel.

"Settle down, Dr. Freeman!" He heard a man's voice, as somebody unexpectedly came up from behind him, clasping their arms around him, restraining his arms down.

"Shit!" He thought to himself, as he struggled to break free. "I can't let them take me again!" He pushed hard, with every bit of strength he had, backwards, causing his captor to get slammed against a nearby wall. The force was successful in causing him to loosen his grip, but not release it. Gordon, still clutched tightly, pulled a short distance forward, before reversing direction and plowing the crewman into the wall once again.

"Ugh!" The crewman grunted with a cough, as he let Gordon go, having had the wind knocked out of him. Gordon quickly spun around, and leveled the unsuspecting crewman with a solid right hook, before he could get his bearings back.

"Ow...!" Gordon cringed, shaking his right hand, as a sudden sharp pain shot through his knuckles. Despite everything he'd been through, the concept of punching was still fairly new to him.

But it was obvious to him now, he was going to have to fight his way out of this place. He looked down at the coughing crewman, and spotted what appeared to be a pistol sheathed on his belt. He bent down and pulled the sidearm out of its holster. From a compact position, it unexpectedly opened up in his hands, expanding to take the shape of a full sized handgun. This certainly was a strange looking pistol, like none he'd ever seen before. Then again the Combine weren't exactly known for their conventional weaponry. He found a trigger, a barrel, and a safety, that's all he needed.

"Put the weapon down!" He heard a woman's voice exclaim, as he removed the safety mechanism from the pistol. He looked up to see what appeared to be some sort of woman. Her skin was as blue as the ocean, and she had some sort of strange ruffling on her head. She had a pistol locked onto him, as he returned the favor.

"Drop it!" He heard another voice yell out. This time, it belonged to some sort of green amphibian looking creature, that walked upright like a man. It rushed into the room, an assault rifle drawn and locked onto Freeman as well.

"What in the world...?" He thought to himself, as he looked on at these strange beings before him. Before he knew it, he was faced off against a number of aggressors. Most of which human, others... well he couldn't say. "They don't look like Combine..." he thought to himself. "But what the hell are they?"

He kept his weapon drawn, aiming back and forth between all of his would-be assailants, as each of them kept their weapons locked solely on him, each ordering him to relinquish his weapon. He breathed heavily as he looked at the semi-circle of foes formed around him. "Why haven't they attacked me yet..." He asked himself. But given the look of the company he was in, he wasn't about to drop his weapon.

His eyes narrowed, and he focused on controlling his breathing. If it was going to come down to a fight, then so be it. It wouldn't be the first time he faced insurmountable odds. He furrowed his brow, as he steadied his aim and slowly began to squeeze on the trigger.

Suddenly, before he could fire, he felt something firm, and cold jab into the back of his head. He could tell, almost immediately, that the object pressed against his head, was the barrel of a gun.

"I know this must all seem very shocking, Dr. Freeman." Commander Shepard began, holding a pistol firmly to the back of Gordon's head. "But I'm going to have to ask you to please drop your weapon. You have my word that no one here is going to hurt you."

"Damn..." Gordon thought to himself, as he clenched his lips, knowing he had lost. The only thing he could do now was comply, and hope that this man, whoever he was, would make good on his promise. Gordon sighed and reluctantly dropped his weapon. The strange, green, fishman then walked over to him, and bent over to pickup his relinquished pistol. Seeing this, the rest of the men, women, and... creatures before him gently lowered their weapons as well, giving Gordon an ounce of relief.

"Speak for yourself, Shepard!" He heard someone yell out angrily, as he felt the pistol barrel slowly lift away from the back of his head. That's when he saw the blue armor clad alien, come barging out of the room he was just in, a large knot now present on his forehead.

"Garrus, you will stand down!" He heard the man behind him order, with a commanding voice.

"Just give me five minutes alone with him Shepard, that's all I want." Garrus said, as he rapidly approached Freeman, cracking his knuckles. Gordon looked on, as Garrus came right up to him, sticking a finger in his face. "You may have caught me off guard, the first time you little..."

"Garrus, I said stand down! That's an order!" Shepard barked once again, this time with significantly more indignation in his voice.

Garrus stopped, and glared hard at Freeman. Freeman just stood there, looking back at him, not sure what to make of everything that was going on. This wasn't the resistance, but it didn't have the make of the the Combine either. He couldn't figure out who these people were.

Garrus stormed off, passed Freeman, stopping to address Shepard. "You just make sure, you keep him the hell away from me..." Garrus demanded in a stern voice, before walking off in a huff back into the Main Battery Room.

Shepard sighed and shook his head, as the other members of his crew began to disperse, and return to their posts. Gordon slowly turned around, turning to face a man dressed in dark gray armor, sporting a small insignia that read "N7." A confounded look still predominant on his face.

"Dr. Freeman... It's a real honor to meet you." Shepard said, extending a hand out to be shaken. "I am Commander John Shepard, and I suppose I have some explaining to do."


	12. Chapter 12: A New Reality

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 12: A New Reality**

"Ouch..." Yeoman Kelly Chambers stated, as she cringed at the site of of the red swollen bruise, on the cheek of the man sitting across from her.

She put down a tray of lemon chicken, and steamed vegetables as she sat down to a hearty dinner, in the mess hall.

"Hmm?" The battered Crewman Ramirez uttered with a mouthful, as he looked up at her. He was indulging himself to a plate of fried catfish, the bruise seemingly not bothering him at all, as he chewed away.

More often then not, the crew of the SR-2 Normandy found themselves in harms way, at one point actually being abducted from the ship, and nearly processed into fine ground liquid. One thing, however, they never had to worry about was the quality of food prepared by Mess Sergeant Gardner. The Commander always made it a prerogative to make sure the ship's food stock was of the highest quality. "Only the best for my crew." He'd say.

"That's some shiner! I can't believe Dr. Freeman punched you!" Kelly exclaimed, taking a fork and slowly starting to slice into her tender cut of chicken. "You must be pretty upset... I know Garrus is livid." She continued, before biting into a small piece of chicken at the end of her fork.

Ramirez looked up, and over, peering into the window of the Medical Bay, as Gordon Freeman sat on an operating table. Dr. Chakwas was scanning him with her omni-tool, obviously taking various readings. The Commander was standing, leaned against her desk, as he talked to Gordon; no doubt attempting to explain the impossible. Gordon would listen for the most part, occasionally he'd usher himself in with a shocked comment, but primarily his face was a collage of disbelief, sorrow, and confusion, shaking his head at the things that seemed utterly absurd.

"Nah..." Ramirez said, his mouth still partially full, as he gulped down another bite of fish. "I don't care." he continued. "Shit... if I was from the 18th century, or whenever he's from, and I woke up in some box surrounded by freaky aliens... uh... no offense Samara." He stopped himself, to apologize to the blue Justicar beside him, who was busy enjoying a meal of Serkmeht Alei, an Asari delicacy. Samara turned her head slightly towards Ramirez, saying nothing before turning her attention back to her meal, clearly indifferent over his comments. "I'd probably start bustin' heads too!" He finished, confidently nodding his head with a smirk.

"Well yours got pretty busted..." Kelly replied, taking a steamed carrot on her fork, and blowing on it a bit, as steam fluttered off.

"I know!" Ramirez replied excitedly. "Isn't it great!" Kelly stopped, as she bit down on her fork; a look of bewilderment on her face. "Wait 'til I tell my family back on Ariel Prime that I got decked by the one and only, Gordon Freeman!" He said with a huge grin, as he looked back down at his plate, cutting into his last piece of fish.

"I see..." Kelly replied as she raised an eyebrow. "Well, he is the only thing, any human on board is talking about." She said, taking her knife and slicing off another bite of chicken. "mmm... I'll tell you one thing though." She said, looking back up at Ramirez, savoring her chicken, swallowing it down before she started to speak again. "Those pictures of him in the history codices don't do him justice. He's much cuter in person." She fawned, as she shifted around in her seat, turning to pore over Gordon, through the med bay windows.

"He's in perfect physical health Commander." Dr. Chakwas stated, as she dematerialized the omni-tool from her hands. Shepard nodded at her, as Gordon sat on her operating table. His fingertips were covering his eyes, pushing his glasses up near his forehead as he attempted to digest everything he was being told.

"A hundred and seventy-nine years..." Gordon said in a trembling voice, his hands still covering his face. "Everything I knew... gone..." He uttered to himself in a whisper, into the palms of his hands. "I'll never see her again..." He felt a knot swell up in his throat, as he tried desperately to swallow it back down.

"I know this is a lot to take in, Dr. Freeman." Shepard began, in an attempt to comfort Gordon. "I can't begin to imagine what you're going through."

"Why?" Gordon asked, taking a deep breath as he removed his hands from his face. "Why bring me back now? What does he want from me?"

"Who...?" Shepard responded, as he furrowed his brow in confusion.

"That... man... the one who took me." Gordon responded, not sure if man was the correct word to use, as he looked up at Shepard, a pleading look in his eyes. "Just like he did after Black Mesa..."

"Ohh..." Shepard responded, realizing who he was speaking of. "You're referring Cerberus' Operative at the time. I believe he was called the G-Man, if I remember correctly."

Gordon looked up at Shepard with bewilderment. "Cerberus Operative? G-Man?" He thought to himself, wondering what this man was talking about.

"I imagine, after a hundred and seventy-nine years, he's long since passed on." Shepard said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"But..." Gordon started in, shaking his head while looking down. "This... this wasn't just some man... he could do things... He could restrain me, he had the power to put me into complete submission. He'd come in from nowhere, out of darkness... And the way he spoke... It was not human."

"He was using biotic stasis barriers." Shepard responded, attempting to quell Gordon's nerves. "That's how he seemingly froze time around you. And as far as his speaking goes, I couldn't really say, I never heard him myself. But I will tell you this, I think Cerberus prides itself on being eccentric." He continued, leaning back on Dr. Chakwas' desk, crossing his arms. "The man currently running it, The Illusive Man, is no exception; glowing blue eyes, a star dwarf outside his window, and always a cigarette in hand. I've never even seen him in person, just holograms."

Gordon was silent for a long while. His eyes bounced back and forth rapidly, as he appraised the situation in his mind. "So that's it then..." Gordon began with a sigh, as he hunched over forward, draping his hands over his knees. "You pulled me out, everything I knew and cared for gone... for what purpose now? What contract would you have me fulfill?"

"Dr. Freeman..." Shepard responded, as he stepped forward, towards Gordon. "I'm not Cerberus. I'm not here to force you into anything. I can only imagine the level of resentment and contempt you must feel for what's been done to you." Shepard reached out, and put a hand on Gordon's shoulder as he slouched forward, inciting Gordon to look up at him. "I offer you a choice... I can't give you back that which you've lost. But if you wish, we can take back to Earth, give you a few thousand credits, more than enough to get you started, and you can try to build a new life for yourself. After all you've been through, you've more than earned a rest." Shepard took his hand off Gordon's shoulder, having acquired his full attention.

"But I'm going to be straight with you." Shepard sighed as he began again, a hint of concern now in his voice. "There is a threat in the galaxy, a threat I know as the Reapers... You've come to know them as the Combine." Gordon's eyes narrowed at the mere mention of their name, as they burned with a familiar jade fire. "Galactic civilization is trying to win a war, Dr. Freeman... a war that started nearly two centuries ago on Earth. A war that I'm trying to fight with the best the galaxy has to offer, right here on-board this ship. And I'd feel a lot better about our chances, if you were to fight it alongside us."

Just then, the med bay door slid open, as Tali walked in the room. She was carrying a folded set of clothing, the standard Cerberus crew uniform, and the standard issue pair of black boots. Gordon was still hunched over, staring at the floor, and reflecting on what the Commander had just told him.

"Don't think that you have to make your decision right now." Shepard reassured Gordon, as he saw Tali walk in. "Why don't you sleep on it." He said, taking the clothing from Tali, thanking her with a nod and a smile. "Get some rest, have yourself a good hot meal. Mess Sergeant Gardner can fix you up almost anything you want, one of the best chef's in the known galaxy."

Gordon looked up, the despair on his face slightly diminished. "That does sound good." He began, nodding lightly. "I'd love to have a relaxing shower, and the last time I can remember eating anything, that wasn't intravenously fed to me through that damn suit, was coffee and a danish I had the morning of the resonance cascade."

"Take all the time you need." The Commander stated, as he handed the clothing to Gordon. By this point, he had gotten used to the Doctor's foul odor. He couldn't blame him of course, having spent the last 179 years in the same suit. "Tali can show you to your quarters."

"Wait." Dr. Chakwas interrupted, holding a strange contraption in her hands. It was a small rectangular device, with an opening on the end that seemed to contour to the shape of the area around ones eyes. The device almost appeared to be some sort of futuristic binoculars. "I have to administer the Infrared Ocular Enhancer. No one wears spectacles anymore, after all. Don't worry it'll only hurt for a moment."

Gordon looked up at Dr. Chakwas as she approached him, device in hand. She then reached out, to pull his glasses off his face. "No, no." Gordon responded, intercepting her hands with one of his before she was able to confiscate his lenses. "Thank you, but... I like my glasses." He said, as he adjusted them.

"But... this will completely restore your vision. Don't you want that?" Dr. Chakwas implored, a look of utter astonishment on her face.

"We all have our imperfections..." Gordon replied, shrugging his shoulders imperceptibly. "I prefer to accept mine. But, Thank You."

Gordon took the clothing from the Commander, as he slowly stood up. "This way Dr. Freeman." Tali spoke up, motioning him to follow her. He took a moment to examine her, noticing the strange suit she was wrapped in, and her tri-fingered hands, and strange feet. It didn't take more than a moment for him to accept this as his new, normal reality, however, and begin to follow her. She seemed nice enough after all.

As they both approached the door, Gordon suddenly stopped and turned around to face Shepard once more. "Commander, Sir..." He said, something clearly on his mind.

"Yes, Dr. Freeman?" Shepard acknowledged.

"Back on Earth, the Combine... did... did we win?" Gordon asked nervously.

"We won the battle, Dr. Freeman." Shepard answered, as he blinked his eyes and nodded. "We won back our planet, thanks to you. But the war is far from over..."

Gordon nodded, traces of a smile evident behind his goatee, as he grasped for a better grip on the clothing in his hands, before him and Tali walked out of the room.

"He's strong." Dr. Chakwas' spoke out, as she came to stand besides Shepard, who was still looking at the closed door the two had walked out of. "After all he's been through, he'd have to be." She continued. "But I don't think he'll fight for you, Commander."

Shepard turned and looked at her, after hearing this. "Why do you say that Doctor?" He questioned.

"He looks utterly burned out, Commander." She responded. "I just don't think he has it in him anymore. Especially considering, anyone he knew and loved is dead. He's strong Commander, but not as strong as you."

"No..." Shepard responded, turning once again to face the door, a look of pride in his eyes. "He's stronger... Did you see that look in his eyes when I mentioned the Combine? And if he was truly burned out, he would have jumped at the chance to try and start a new life... No... I think he knows what's at stake. He'll fight..." Shepard said as he nodded confidently, with a grin. "He's struggling to cope, it's a lot for any man to take in, but he'll fight."

"I hope you're right." Dr. Chakwas replied as she turned to pull some instruments out of her desk's drawer. "Alright, armor off, and have a seat on the table." Shepard had already started to make his way towards the door, when he heard her, causing him to turn and looked at her with an addled expression on his face.

"Don't think Tali didn't tell me about your injury." She told him with a smile, shaking a finger at him playfully, with her head tilted. "She'd never forgive me if I let you walk out without giving you a proper examination. Now, as I said, armor off, and up on the table."

"Heh..." He chuckled softly to himself. Slowly he started removing his shoulder pads, his abdomen still giving him distress. Just then, a thought crossed his mind. At that moment, he couldn't help but think, how truly lucky he was.

* * *

"These are your quarters." Tali said, as the door to the Port Observation deck slid open, allowing the two of them passage. Immediately upon entering, Gordon's jaw dropped in awe as he stepped in, looking out of the window in his cabin.

"Here is your bunk, a locker for your personal possessions." Tali continued, as she attempted to give Gordon the quick tour of his new cabin. Gordon however, was completely awestruck as he stood beholding the wonders of the universe, right outside a thick glass window. He looked out at the celestial twilight of the heavens. Stars burning brightly billion of miles away, and yet seemingly within arms reach. He felt, almost as if, he could simply reach out, and pluck one of the small dots away from its brethren amidst the black of space.

"And the Men's personal facilities are right outside, just around the corner." Tali finished up, turning to look at him, realizing that he hadn't heard a word she said. She had forgotten that something as trivial as the stars outside the Normandy's windows, were something that this human must have never seen. At least not this close.

She walked over to Gordon, and accompanied him as they both gazed outside into the vastness of space. Gordon had placed one hand over his chest, as he tried to keep himself tranquil, his mouth still hung wide open. His other hand, he had pressed up against the window, almost as if wanting to reach through the glass pane.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Tali asked, as she stood gazing out at the stars alongside Gordon. "I've been out here so often, that I forget sometimes how breathtaking it can be."

"I... Uh... I..." Gordon stuttered, as he continued to gaze out, watching as they hurdled through stars and the very heavens. "Oh... Uh... Thank you, miss..." He said, shaking his head lightly, trying to snap himself out of the trance he had allowed himself to fall into.

"Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy." She responded. "But you can call me Tali, everyone else does." She assured him, happily as she turned to face him, extending a hand to be shaken.

"Thank You, Miss Tali." He answered, extending his own hand and shaking the quarian's. "Thank you, for your kindness..."

"My pleasure, Dr. Freeman. Is there anything else I can do for you?" She inquired politely.

"No..." Gordon responded, as he sifted through the clothing he was holding, diverting his attention from the window for the first time. "I'm just looking forward to a shower. Tell me something though. How long did the war on Earth last, after I was gone?"

"Well... I don't really know much about Earth's history." Tali replied, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "At least not before the First Contact War. But I know EDI's databases are extensive. I'm sure she could answer most of your questions."

"Edee?" He questioned, wondering who this woman was, and where he could find her.

"Sure. EDI, why don't you introduce yourself to Dr. Freeman." Tali said, addressing a terminal near the desk in Gordon's quarters. Suddenly a blue holographic sphere popped out, startling Gordon a bit.

"Hello, Dr. Freeman. I am The Normandy's Enhanced Defense Intelligence System. But you may call me EDI." EDI's holographic form responded, as Gordon looked on, astounded.

"Amazing..." He uttered in total awe, as he adjusted his glasses and approached the hologram, her brilliant blue light splashing onto everything in the room. "What an incredible artificial intelligence engine."

"Correction." EDI responded. "I am not simply an artificial intelligence. I am a complex reasoning engine. A fully conscious, self-aware computing system; capable of learning and independent decision making."

"Self-aware?" Gordon asked worriedly, as he looked up towards Tali, who simply shrugged her shoulders. Growing up, when he wasn't immersed in his studies on Quantum Entanglement, or reading the works of Einstein, Hawking, or Feynmen, he'd find himself enjoying a good sci-fi novel. Many of which often detailed self-aware computers, rising up against their creators and waging all out wars on mankind. How ironic.

"Well, if there's nothing else for now, Dr. Freeman." Tali ushered in, trying to get Gordon's attention, as he studied EDI's form carefully.

"Oh!" Gordon exclaimed, as he turned back around to face her, having almost completely forgotten that she was there. "I apologize. No miss, thank you once again." Tali nodded, and placed a hand on his shoulder, before turning around and walking out of the room.

* * *

"That ought to do it." Dr. Chakwas affirmed, as she finished fabricating a cummerbund of bandages around Shepard's waist. "A few bruised ribs, nothing too serious – but no strenuous activity for a few days, Commander."

"Now there's a luxury I can't afford." Shepard responded with a smile, as he slowly put his Cerberus uniform shirt back on.

"Commander." Joker's voice came in through the med bay intercom, getting Shepard's attention.

"Yes, Joker." He responded, turning his eyes upward, still sitting on Dr. Chakwas' operating table.

"I got a fix on that lost shuttle." His voice came in again. "It apparently landed on Naraan, a small desert planet not too far from here."

"Heh... see what I mean?" He said quietly, to Chakwas before turning his attention back to Joker.

"No, a short-range shuttle like that wouldn't of made it far, would it?" Shepard concurred, turning his eyes back up toward the ceiling. "Set a course, Joker. I've got a few questions for our Vorcha friends..."


	13. Chapter 13: Tracks and Tribulations

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 13: Tracks and Tribulations**

"There it is Commander." Joker informed Shepard, pointing out of the Normandy's forward windows, as he attempted to find a good spot to set the Normandy down. "It looks to be in one piece."

The Normandy's small Kodiak Shuttle stood out amidst the bright orange sand of Naraan. This desolate, dismal planet had nothing to offer anyone. A landscape of sand dunes splashed against a few rocky canyons, as two nearby suns hung in the sky.

Slowly the Normandy's landing struts extended from the interior hull of the ship, and gently touched down on a flat stretch of stone, laid out on the sand.

"Commander." EDI's voice interjected, as Joker and Shepard looked on at the derelict shuttle, left lightly buried in one the dunes. "I am detecting no signs of life in the immediate vicinity." She informed them. "However, my scanners have detected two sets of tracks, leading away from the shuttle to the southwest."

Shepard was standing on the bridge, behind Joker, already fully clad in his signature dark gray N7 Armor, as he peered outside towards the shuttle. "Is the atmosphere breathable?" Shepard asked, turning his attention to EDI's hologram.

"Yes." EDI responded. "The planet's atmosphere is composed of 78.09% Oxygen, 17.95% Argon, and 3.96% Carbon Dioxide. However, my sensors indicate an external temperature of 115 Degrees Fahrenheit. Most life forms would not survive the arid climate, for more than twelve to fifteen hours, without the proper hydration."

"Guess I better hurry then." Shepard stated as he turned, and walked away from the bridge. "Have Daniels and Donnelly meet us outside at the shuttle."

"As you wish Commander." EDI replied, as Joker manipulated his control panel, to open the Normandy's hangar door, before reclining back in his seat; his hands clasped behind his head.

Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels were the first ones out of the ship's Hangar door, as it slid open and an access ramp extended down towards the planet's surface. Followed by Shepard, Garrus, Mordin, and two armed crewman.

Donnelly and Daniels rushed over to the shuttle, each carrying large black tool cases, ready to get to work. They were the Normandy's primary engineering officers, and best friends, both having graduated from the same Alliance tech academy.

"This doesn't look too bad Commander." Donnelly declared, in a thick Scottish accent, as he examined the shuttle. "A little elbow grease'll get 'er back in the air in no time."

"Yeah." Daniels added. "The damage looks mostly cosmetic, one of the fuel lines has been ruptured, but that's nothing a little omni-gel won't fix."

"Alright." Shepard began, addressing his crewmen. "Well work as quickly as you can, but be careful, we don't know this planet. You see anything out of the ordinary; you get back on the ship and have Joker radio me. Understood?"

"Understood!" The two engineers, and two armed crewman responded almost simultaneously.

"Don't you worry Commander." Donnelly began again. "We'll have 'er back up and running by the time you get back." He assured Shepard.

Shepard nodded, as he turned and looked down at the sand, spotting the two sets of tracks leading far to the southwest. Shepard drew his rifle, accompanied in doing so by Mordin and Garrus, as the three walked off following the tracks.

"You gonna pout forever Garrus?" Shepard asked snidely, as they walked across the desert, following the tracks. The knot on Garrus' forehead had diminished to slightly more than a blemish, a scowl evident on his face.

"Don't even start with me Shepard..." Garrus replied, clearly irritated.

"Come on..." Shepard said, trying to coax Garrus out of his foul mood. "So you got knocked for a loop. So what? You gonna hold a grudge forever?"

"Shepard..." Garrus replied, as the three continued following the tracks. "A gunship blast to the face couldn't kill me..." He asserted, as he pointed to the large scar on the lower portion of his face. "You think that I'd let a scrawny egghead scientist get the better of me? No offense Mordin..." He shrugged his shoulders, as he looked over at Mordin, on Shepard's opposite side.

Mordin rolled his eyes, as they continued forward. It wasn't the first time he'd felt the third wheel when Shepard and Garrus got into these conversation's of theirs, but he was used to it.

"I dunno Garrus..." Shepard replied. "I did see the security feed. Looked to me like he knocked you right on your ass." Shepard said, as he broke out into laughter. Garrus turned and glared a hole right through Shepard.

"Sorry! Sorry..." Shepard said, trying hard to control his laughter. "But I mean, come on... Can you really blame him? If you were just in a battle, and you suddenly woke up two centuries later surrounded by strange beings, how would you have reacted?" Shepard questioned, looking over at Garrus, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, like you said, he caught you off guard. We're all on the same team here Garrus. There's no reason to hold a grudge."

"Like I said, Shepard." Garrus responded, as he walked forward, looking down the sight of his rifle. "Just keep him out of my way, and we won't have a problem." Shepard sighed, and shook his head as the three continued forth, following the tracks in the sand.

* * *

"The Earth Rebellion most notably ended on August 12th 2007 when a rebel strike team, led by Bernard Calhoun assaulted the last major Combine stronghold on Earth, in City 19, formerly and laterally known as Volgograd, Russia." EDI explained, as Gordon listened on intently.

He was dressed in the Cerberus crew attire given to him, as he sat at the desk provided for him, in his quarters. His hair was damp, and a towel hung around his neck, as he looked on at EDI's holographic form.

"Barney..." He uttered to himself, as he recognized the name given by EDI.

"The human strike force, supplemented by Vortigaunt allies, raided a Combine fortress, crippling the remaining Combine regime." EDI continued. "Heavy casualties were suffered by both sides, including Captain Calhoun, but the conflict ultimately resulted in victory for the resistance."

"Aw, Barn..." Gordon uttered to himself, under his breath, as he reclined back in his seat, his right hand placed over his forehead. "I'm gonna miss ya buddy..." He said, shaking his head.

"Wait..." He said to EDI, as a thought crossed his mind. "How come I haven't seen any Vortigaunts on-board this ship? Are there any?"

"The Vortigaunts are an extinct alien race on Earth." EDI replied, as her sphere flashed when she answered.

"Extinct?" Gordon asked, shocked to hear the news of his former extraterrestrial allies, with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Once the Combine's Reproductive Suppression field on Earth was deactivated, humans were once again able to procreate." EDI began her explanation. "The suppression field had a more permanent effect on the Vortigaunt physiology, however. Unable to reproduce, the remaining Vortigaunt species on Earth died out in the decades to come."

"But what about on Xen...?" Gordon inquired, a disheartened look on his face. "There still had to be vorts on Xen."

"Xen." EDI replied, scanning her databases. "The border world, used as a relay stabilizer, prior to the Black Mesa Research Facility Resonance Cascade. Once the super portal, utilized by the Combine, was closed on Earth, travel to this planet was made impossible. It's exact location has since remained a mystery."

Gordon sighed, as he sat shaking his head."Everything's changed..." He said to himself. Suddenly he felt a chill run through his body, and his arms became speckled with goosebumps. "Can this be a dream? Can I really be here?" He thought out loud, as he looked out at the stars, through his window.

He turned back to EDI, as he leaned forward towards her, gulping at the ball wedged in his throat. "What about Alyx..." He asked EDI, a despondent expression on his face. "Was she killed in the rebellion too?"

"Please be more specific." EDI requested.

"Vance. Alyx Vance." Gordon responded immediately, with his eyes shut, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"No." EDI replied. "Alyx Vance was a key figure in the formation of the New Earth Union, the first true form of organized government on Earth since the Seven Hours War. After the fall of the Combine, humanity entered a new technological golden age, reverse engineering the Combine technology left behind. In 2149 the NEU evolved into what is today known as the System's Alliance. Alyx Vance died in her home in St. Petersburg, Russia, due to natural causes, in 2064. She was 85."

Gordon was silent for a moment, his memory flourished with thoughts of her. From the moment he'd met her, when Combine metro-cops cornered him in a dilapidated apartment. To the moment he thought he'd almost lost her. He struggled, fruitlessly, to swallow the ever growing knot in his throat.

"Did she have a good life?" Gordon asked, as he inhaled and exhaled heavily, fighting back the fluid in his eyes.

"I am sorry, but I am unable to determine that information." EDI responded. "Please be more specific."

Gordon shook his head. "Thank You... that's all for now." He told her, as he put his elbows on his desk, resting his forehead in his palms as his fingers clutched at his hair.

Just then, the door to his quarters slid open, as a familiar quarian walked in. "Dr. Freeman?" She asked as she found him huddled over his desk with a look of despair. "How are you holding up...?" She inquired, worriedly.

"Fine, thank you." He responded in a whisper, not turning to look at her, simply keeping his head buried into his palms.

"Is... there anything I can do for you?" She asked timidly, as she approached his side, trying to peer into his expression.

"No..." came his response, a single word uttered under his breath.

"Uh, Look..." Tali began, hoping she wasn't being a nuisance. "I know how hard this must be on you... but if you feel like you need someone to talk to, I'm always happy to listen." She reassured him, hoping to see him crack a smile or at least a slight nod.

"Thank you, but no..." He responded, never moving an inch from his huddled position.

"Oh... alright." Tali replied bashfully, as she slowly started making her way toward the door. "Well, if you need anything, you can have EDI contact me. I'll be back to check in on you, later."

She got no response out of him, verbal, physical or otherwise. He just sat there, a picture of sorrow and despair. She stared at him for a while, wishing there was something she could do for him. She sighed into her face mask, before she turned and prepared to walk out of the room.

Suddenly, without warning, before Tali could make it out of the room. Her omni-tool lit up, and out materialized her playful holographic companion.

It made a series of buzzes and beeps as it gently floated over to the wallowing Freeman. "Chiktikka! Bad girl!" Tali exclaimed, startling Gordon, and causing him to turn his head, and notice the drone for the first time.

"W-What is that?" Gordon asked, nervously as Chiktikka came right up to his face, illuminating the room with her bright white glow. He reclined backwards in his seat, as far as he could go, unsure if this thing before him was dangerous.

"You'll have to excuse Chiktikka..." Tali said, with her hands placed on her hips, shaking her head. "She gets curious around new people."

The drone beeped and whirred, as it floated playfully in front of Gordon. Out of curiosity, Gordon put a hand up, reaching out to touch the mischievous hologram. As he did so, his hand passed right through her illusive surface, before he pulled it back out again.

"I think she likes you." Tali said, with a giggle, as she watched Gordon interact with her drone. "Okay, Chiktikka. Come on, it's time to go."

The drone glided over to Tali, as Gordon sat forward, looking on in amazement. Chiktikka floated up and down, before Tali, emitting a variety of rebellious buzzing sounds. "Don't you take that tone with me, Chiktikka. I said it's time to go."

The drone hovered, as it whirred in defeat, before disappearing back into Tali's omni-tool. Gordon looked on at her, a big grin now on his face.

"That... thing, it's like your pet?" Gordon inquired.

"She's a combat drone." Tali answered. "But yes, in essence Chiktikka is my pet, my friend, and if the situation calls for it, my protector."

"Heh..." He chuckled softly, as he shook his head and looked at her.

"What?" Tali asked, as she fidgeted with her omni-tool.

"Nothing, it's..." Gordon responded, as he reclined backwards in his seat, looking up at the ceiling, before bringing his attention back down to her. "You just remind me of someone, that's all. I guess not everything's changed."

"Who?" Tali asked, as she turned to sit on one of the cushioned chairs provided in Gordon's quarters.

"No one, just..." Gordon began, as his eyes starred off into space. "It was a mistake... a stupid mistake!" He exclaimed, as he sat forward, with his elbows on his knees, clearly frustrated. "I shouldn't be here. If I hadn't stormed off in a rage, I'd still... I shouldn't be here!"

"What happened?" Tali queried, a bit of lament evident in her voice.

Gordon looked up at Tali, as he took a deep breath, recalling the events of that fateful day 179 years ago, releasing a long drawn out sigh.

"Things finally seemed like they were looking up, for the first time, in a long time." Gordon began. "We had just managed to close the Combine Super-portal on Earth, and it seemed like we were close to victory."

Tali listened intently, as Gordon began to spin his tale. He didn't seem like the kind who liked to mix words with anyone, that much was evident to her since she first met him. And she could tell that recounting the events of his past was painful for him, but somehow it seemed like he needed this. Like he needed someone to talk to, as if he hadn't had the opportunity to really express himself to anyone in a long time, amidst his chaotic life.

"Dr. Vance, who I worked with at Black Mesa, had just tasked me and his daughter Alyx..." He paused for a moment as he uttered her name, he sighed and continued. "He had tasked us with finding a marooned ship called the Borealis, and destroying it. It contained something dangerous, a new type of weapon perhaps, that couldn't fall into the Combine's hands. I never was fully clear on what it was."

"The Borealis" EDI interjected, interrupting Gordon's conversation. "Was a research vessel, chartered by the Aperture Science Enrichment Science Center. In 1997, in an experiment gone wrong, the Borealis allegedly disappeared with a large portion of it's dry dock. The experiment was conducted in haste in competition with The Black Mesa Research Facility." EDI continued, as both Gordon and Tali listened.

"The vessel was rediscovered in 2006, by Dr. Judith Mossman, on an expedition into the Norwegian Mountains. It was thought to contain detailed schematic blueprints, as well as an actual working prototype of Aperture's most promising project; The Aperture Science Hand Held Portal Device. A device capable of manipulating space in order to create portals in which matter can pass through two points in space seamlessly."

"My god..." Gordon uttered, as he listened to EDI. "Were they actually able to do it? Did they actually perfect portal travel?" Gordon asked astonished.

"Unknown." EDI answered. "The vessel, and any materials on-board were destroyed in 2006, by a rescue team, sent to retrieve Dr. Mossman's expedition group, led by Bernard Calhoun."

"Atta boy, Barn..." Gordon uttered to himself, a mixture of pride and sorrow stirring within him.

"So anyway..." Gordon, turned back to Tali and continued with his story, feeling somewhat at ease for the first time since he woke up in this strange place. "We were just about to head out, when two Combine Advisors broke into the facility and..." He gulped a bit, as he thought about what happened next. "And they killed Dr. Vance... To me, he had become more than a colleague, more than a mentor. He was the closest thing, to a father, I had left." Gordon said, as he sighed and looked down at the floor, shaking his head.

"But even then, it couldn't have hurt me, as much as it did her." He continued. "He actually was her father, and I remember... seeing her there... huddled over him, crying. And I was powerless to do anything. It tore my heart out to see that, and... I just lost my head."

"What did you do?" Tali asked, completely enthralled by Gordon's story.

Gordon sat back up in his chair, clenching his lips. "I stormed out, determined to get revenge on those responsible. I should have stayed, I never should have left her... After it was all over, I thought I had won, I thought I had gotten the revenge I sought. That's when HE showed up."

"Who?" Tali inquired.

"I don't fully know, the Captain said he was called the G... Man? I think."

"The Captain?" Tali asked, confused momentarily. "Oh, you mean the Commander. And you're referring to Cerberus' operative at the time."

"I suppose." Gordon replied, shrugging his shoulders, a tinge of confusion in his voice. "Whoever he was, he took me... next thing I knew I was in some strange casket, surrounded by a bright orange light."

"The MMRC." Tali answered. "It's what rebuilt your muscular structure. I can't say I blame you for how you reacted, you've been through so much." She affirmed, sympathetically.

"I just... ugh!" Gordon grunted, as he reclined back in his seat, clasping his head between his hands. "I never should have left! You know the funny thing... I never even got a chance to tell her how I felt about her... Or to find out if she felt the same way about me."

"I think she did." Tali assured him in a soothing tone, attempting to comfort him. "And it isn't hard to see why. It must have been very hard on her as well. I lost my own father recently, I can't imagine what it would be like to lose him and John in the same day."

Gordon looked up at her, a despondent look in his eyes, at what she just said, realizing the pain he must have caused Alyx.

"Oh... I... I didn't mean it like that... I just..." Tali stuttered, trying to correct what she said on the spur of the moment. "I guess I'm not helping much am I...?"

"It's okay..." Gordon replied, nodding slightly with his eyes shut. "I'm just having a hard time understanding why this had to happen."

"Look at it this way." Tali stated, optimistically. "Maybe it was fate that brought you here. It has to be more than coincidence that after 179 years, the same enemy you faced on Earth, is the same enemy threatening to wipe out the galaxy. And here you are, again. That is... if you choose to stay anyway."

Gordon looked at her, forcing a smile. "Maybe..." he uttered. "So you and the uh... Commander. You two are an item then? How does that work?" He asked, changing the subject.

She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. "Well, it's not easy." She replied. "But, we're doing our best to make it work."

Gordon reclined back in his seat, as he listened to Tali. Despite the fact that he was; on-board a star ship, that had just landed on a foreign planet, and he was talking to an alien dressed head to toe in some sort of strange suit, and he had just had a conversation with a computer. He felt normality in his life for the first time, since morning of the Resonance Cascade. And in this strange new reality, he had been thrust into, he was grateful at least, to feel as though he had made a friend.

* * *

"It your fault we here!" An enraged Vorcha, shouted at his peer, as the two dredged through the sand.

"Why me fault?" His companion answered back, angrily. "You one who crash ship here in sand!"

"You one told me go this way!" The first one replied. "You stupid!"

"No you stupid! We die here cause you stupid!" His companion added, as the two continued to walk, no particular destination in mind. The planet's two suns, hung suspended in the sky, beating down on the two Vorcha.

"So hot... You have water... give me!" The first Vorcha accused his companion, as he grabbed him by the collar. "I know you have!"

"No, you have water. You give me!" The second Vorcha replied, grabbing the first one in turn, as the two wrestled back and forth.

"I kill you and take it!" One of them yelled, pulling the assault rifle off his back. Seeing this, the other one grabbed it, and tried to wrestle it away from him as they struggled back and forth. "My water! No mine! I kill you!" Was all that could be heard, as the two fought over the assault rifle, and the imaginary water. Suddenly, the assault rifle went off as the two struggled for it, firing wildly into the air.

"Did you hear that?" Shepard asked, hearing the sound of a weapon discharge, in the distance. "It came from over that dune!" He exclaimed, as the three ran, following the tracks over the dune.

The two Vorcha tumbled in the searing sand, vying for control of the assault rifle, as they continued to insult each other, and demand the non-existent water, like two animals competing for dominance. Just then one of the Vorcha finally managed to wrestle the assault rifle away from his companion, and point it at him, as the other knelt defeated on the sand.

"Hah!" The victor exclaimed, with a growl. "Now you give me water, or me kill you!"

"But me no have water! Me think you have water!" The beaten Vorcha looked up at his compatriot, pleadingly. "No kill me, please!"

The standing Vorcha looked down at his beaten ally, the rusted gears in his miniscule mind slowly began to turn, before shaking his head angrily. "Arrg!" He growled furiously. "I know you lie! I kill you!" He roared, and cocked the gun preparing to fire it.

Suddenly, he heard a second gun cock from behind him, followed by a third, and then a forth. Before he could fire, the armed Vorcha slowly turned; revealing the Commander and his two squad mates, their weapons pointed directly at his head.

His jaw hung open, displaying his needle like fangs, as Mordin slowly approached him and retrieved his weapon. The creature was too stunned to protest.

"You Shepard!" The Vorcha exclaimed, looking on at the gun barrels pointed at his head, as his companion slowly stood up to face the same sight. "You dead! We kill you!"

"Sorry to disappoint you gentlemen, but no." Shepard assured them, sheathing his weapon and approaching their two captives. "I'm alive and kicking, which is more than can be said for you two if you don't answer my questions. Now... Why did you attack the Aurora?"

"Rerrr!" One of the Vorcha growled angrily. "We tell you nothing! You no can make us talk!"

"You better talk!" Garrus ordered, pressing his assault rifle's barrel to the belligerent Vorcha's forehead. "Or I'm going to put a couple' dozen thermal rounds right between your eyes."

"Easy Garrus..." Shepard said with a wink, as he placed his hand on Garrus' rifle, slowly lowering it. He had taken note of how the two stood their with their mouths ajar, panting as their tongues hung out like a couple of thirsty dogs.

"No need to get worked up." He continued, pulling out his canteen. "Now I dunno about you guys, but this heat is getting me pretty thirsty." He said, as he pulled the top off and took a big swill of water. Gulping it down as escaped drops ran down the sides of his chin. "Ahhh! Now that's refreshing."

"Yeah, I'm pretty parched myself." Garrus declared, extending his hand. "Pass that over here a sec, would ya." Shepard handed the canteen to Garrus, as Garrus too pulled his head back, as he gulped down the ice cold water.

The two Vorcha looked on, with a wide gaze, as they licked at their dried lips. The suns suddenly seemed to get hotter and even more intolerable as they watched Shepard and Garrus partake of the life giving drink.

"Yes." Mordin interjected, pulling out a canteen of his own. "I too, am feeling rather dehydrated. Perhaps now would be a good time to indulge in a cool drink of Dihydrogen Monoxide."

"You two look a little thirsty as well." Shepard said sarcastically, as he stepped forward shaking his canteen in front of the Vorcha. "Would you boys care for a little water?"

The two Vorcha instinctively swatted for the canteen, as Shepard pulled it backwards, tilting his head. "Ah... Ah... Ah..." He said, shaking his head. "First you answer my question, and then maybe I let you have a drink."

The two Vorcha looked at each other before looking back towards Shepard. "Master say we set trap for Shepard!" One of the Vorcha started. "We kill Shepard, and master promise to make us strong!" The second Vorcha supplemented.

"What master, where?" Shepard queried.

"Master come out of sky! Promise to make us strong. Give us ships." The Vorcha nodded, as he stood panting, yearning for a drink of refreshment. "Look like giant Zor'laak in sky!" The second Vorcha added.

"Zor'laak?" Shepard turned to Mordin, and asked confounded.

"Creature native to the Vorcha homeworld." Mordin answered. "Roughly the size of a varren pup, resembling a large elongated spider."

"Harbinger..." Shepard replied, shaking his head. He was already fairly certain who 'master' was, but he was hoping somehow his fears would not prove true. "What's he planning? What is he having you do?" Shepard interrogated the two Vorcha.

They looked back and forth at each other, completely baffled, before one finally responded. "Master say we kill Shepard! Promise to make us strong!" "Master come out of sky, give us ships!"

"Right... right..." Shepard said, putting a hand up to stop them, frustratedly. "I guess they don't know anything past the trap they set on the Aurora." He affirmed to his two squad mates. "Let em each have a canteen of water."

Mordin and Garrus each pulled out an auxiliary, refrigerated water canteen, and handed it to the Vorcha. The Vorcha jerked the canteens out of their hands, biting the tops off and gulping the cold, clear fluid down, as if they hadn't had a drink in years.

"What are we gonna do with 'em?" Garrus asked, lowering his rifle a bit. "I say we just leave 'em here, let the planet have it's way with them."

Shepard looked up at the sky, towards the two suns, as he shielded his eyes with one hand. "I wouldn't do that to an animal Garrus." He looked back down at the Vorcha, as they slurped down the water. "Alright you two, listen up." He called out, addressing them. "I'm placing you two under arrest, by authority of the Council Spectre's"

The two Vorcha licked what little water was left, dripping off the rim of the canteen, as they turned their attention back to Shepard.

"Now I'm no cop, I don't carry cuffs or anything like that." Shepard began to explain his proposal. "But the way I see it, either you two come with us quietly, we take you on-board the Normandy, I drop you off at C-Sec, and you serve your sentence. OR, you two can refuse, run away, and we leave you here to roast." Shepard affirmed, pointing up into the sky at the two suns suspended high above.

The two Vorcha looked up at the sky, in the direction Shepard was pointing, then looked down at each other briefly. "We come with you!" The two Vorcha exclaimed, nearly in unison, as they turned to face Shepard.

"I thought so." Shepard remarked, as he crossed his arms, and cracked a grin.


	14. Chapter 14: The Doctor & The Commander

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction** Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 14: The Doctor & The Commander  
**

Only one sun remained in the sky now, and even that one was on twilight's descent. The horizon of Naraan faded from a blazing orange sunset, into a lavender blanket, speckled with stars, as the five traversed the desert. Garrus and Mordin followed behind the two Vorcha prisoners, with Shepard leading their way, following their tracks the way they came. The Turian and the Salarian still had their rifles drawn and pointedly positioned at the Vorcha's back. The tracks were becoming a bit difficult to see now, as dusk set in, but the Normandy's tracking beacon proved to be more than an effective alternative.

"Commander." Joker's voice came in over Shepard's radio. "Do you copy?"

"I copy Joker." Shepard replied, pressing two fingers to his helmet's side. "What's the problem?"

"No problems, Commander." Joker answered. "The shuttle's been repaired and loaded back on board, just wondering if everything was alright on your end."

"Everything's fine." Shepard assured Joker. "We're on our way back to the Normandy, we should be there within the next few minutes. And we'll be having guests." Shepard stated sarcastically, as he turned around briefly to face the two Vorcha captives.

Despite their violent nature, they had remained surprisingly compliant on their venture back. Perhaps it was the water that Shepard had graciously decided to share with them. Maybe it was the fact that the Commander decided to bring them on his ship, out of this harsh environment, even as prisoners. Or perhaps it was just the two M-8 Avenger Class Assault Rifles jabbed in their backs.

"ETA, about fifteen minutes, Joker." The Commander informed his helmsman. "Go ahead and make preparations for take-off, and set a course for the Citadel."

"Aye-Aye Commander." Joker's voice replied, before a scratch of static indicated the communication's channel had been closed.

"Fifteen minutes!" Joker exclaimed happily, lifting his cap off his head, running a hand through his own hair, before replacing it. "That's fifteen more minutes of me time." He stated with a smirk, sitting forward in his seat. "EDI set a course for Earth would'ya? I got a few Extranet bookmarks with my name on 'em."

"I believe the Commander specifically instructed YOU to set our destination, Mr. Moreau." EDI flashed from her terminal on the bridge. "And your Extranet navigation is a gross misuse of the Normandy's resources."

"Yeah well, what Shepard doesn't know won't hurt 'em." Joker responded, as he manipulated the controls on his holoterminal. "Hey wait a minute." He said, as he stopped and turned his attention towards EDI. "When did you turn back into Nag-Bot 5000? I thought we were cool."

"Although it would be menial for me to plot our destination." EDI replied as Joker looked on. "I enjoy observing your various agitated conditions..." She informed, causing Joker to raise an eyebrow, as he watched her hologram flash. "That is a joke..."

"Yeah right..." Joker responded with a scoff, shaking his head. "I think you do just like bustin' my chops." He began manipulating his holoterminal controls to set a course for The Citadel. "Some days you're worse than my mom... I swear Cerberus installed you with a nag chip or something."

"Only for you Jeff..." She answered, a bit of robotic cynicism in her voice. "Only for you."

"Well, that wasn't creepy at all..." Joker responded nervously, rolling his eyes, as he continued to manipulate his controls.

* * *

"Alright, get in there!" Garrus ordered, as he shoved one of the Vorcha up the ramp, into the Normandy, with his rifle. The Vorcha turned, and growled in defiance, only to find himself looking down the barrel of Garrus' assault rifle; the scarred Turian behind it, with his finger primed on the trigger. The belligerent Vorcha turned back around, bowed his head, and marched forward, like a scorned child going to his room.

Crewman Briggs, and Crewman Hawkins were standing guard at the hangar entrance, awaiting Shepard's return. "Hawkins, let Joker know we're on board, and ready for takeoff." The Commander ordered, as the five walked into the cargo hold, the ship's ramp closing behind them. "Aye sir!" Hawkins acknowledged, as he saluted and bolted off to carry out Shepard's orders.

"Briggs, find some restraints for these two and meet me in the Port Cargo Area." He addressed the other crewman, as the five walked into the interior of the hangar bay. "Ay Sir! Right away sir!" Briggs exclaimed as he too, took off in haste, to follow The Commander's instructions.

A large Krogan sat at a table, polishing an M-23 Katana Class Shotgun. Upon his table, laid his entire arsenal of ordnance, arranged from smallest, to largest. Along with a few scattered Mark-14 explosive charges. He took great pleasure, as he caressed the shotgun's casing, buffing its exterior to a high sheen. There was just something about the shine of a perfectly calibrated, semi-automatic, hand-held doom bringer, that brought him an almost giddy level of delight.

Unexpectedly, his door slid open as Shepard walked in. "Battlemaster..." Grunt said, acknowledging Shepard's presence, looking up at him momentarily, before returning to his weapon maintenance.

"Alright, bring 'em in." Shepard instructed, as two Vorcha ran into the room, having been pushed in from behind. Shepard nodded at Garrus and Mordin, dismissing them, as Grunt noticed his new Vorcha roommates. Brandishing his Shotgun, he stood up and walked over to the Vorcha, with an evil grin on his face.

"Fellas, I'd like you to say hello to Grunt." Shepard remarked sarcastically, as the two Vorcha cowered before the colossal Krogan. "Grunt, these two will be your roommates for a while. I'm transporting them to C-Sec, I figured you could keep an eye on 'em."

"Heh..." Grunt chuckled as he stared down the Vorcha. "Thank you for the gift, Battlemaster. I'm going to enjoy this." He said, removing the safety from his weapon.

"Easy Grunt, I just want you to keep an eye on them, nothing more." Shepard stated, as he put his hands up, out in front of him, trying to get his point across. "Briggs will be here soon with some restraints for them. So unless they try anything, I just want you to watch 'em until we get to the Citadel. Understood?"

"You no scare us!" One of the Vorcha yelled out arrogantly, in an outburst. "Yeah! We no fraid of you!" The second Vorcha added, seeing his partners sudden burst of courage.

"No?" Grunt remarked sternly, bringing his large, hardened head down to the Vorcha's level. "Then try something... anything... Oh please, try something."

The two Vorcha looked at each other nervously, then looked back at Grunt, saying absolutely nothing. After all, as fierce, and ruthless as Vorcha can be, when one has a colossal Krogan, wielding a shotgun standing before them, with an evil look in their eye and a malicious grin on their face... one would be wise to mind their manners.

"Puhh..." Grunt uttered, raising his head back up. "Shoulda known... Cowardice vermin. I'll keep an eye on 'em Shepard." He stated, turning back to face the Commander. "These two don't look to have the backbone to give me a little fun, anyway."

"Thanks, Grunt." Shepard nodded, in appreciation, as he turned to walk out of the room. "Remember, I want 'em in one piece when we get to the Citadel." He yelled as he exited the room.

"Well, that's entirely up to them." He sneered as he glared down at the two Vorcha, huddled together.

* * *

Two steely eyes, looked out at the fiery red surface of the dwarf star, outside his window as he expelled smoke in droves through his nostrils. Suddenly a flicker of light flashed behind him, as a torrent of static manifested itself into the Commander's visage.

"Shepard." The Illusive man began, still looking out onto the dwarf. "I would have expected you to contact me sooner."

"Things came up." Shepard responded, nonchalantly. He stood, dressed once again in his standard Cerberus uniform, crossing his arms before him.

"Did you find the Aurora?" The Illusive Man questioned, turning around to face Shepard, his cigarette clutched between two fingers. "Were there any survivors?"

"We found it, but no survivors..." Shepard answered, bowing his head, and shaking it mournfully. "It was a trap. Harbinger knew I'd answer the distress call."

"They set another trap for you?" The Illusive Man asked, as he looked off to the side, a contemplative look on his face, as he narrowed his luminous blue eyes.

"Yeah." Shepard continued. "And what's more; Harbinger is using the Vorcha now, to carry out his plans."

"The Vorcha?" The Illusive Man questioned, in shock, as he turned his attention back up towards Shepard. "First the Geth, then the Collectors, and now the Vorcha... They're absolutely relentless."

Shepard nodded. "So am I." He asserted, with resolve. "And I will not stop, until I've rid the galaxy of them once and for all... Even if I have to do it one by one."

The Illusive Man acknowledged with a nod, as he put his cigarette to his lips, and inhaled. The light flame from the cigarette's tip flared up, bathing his face in a dim orange light. "What about Gordon Freeman?" He asked, pulling his cigarette away from his lips, as smoke poured from his mouth. "Is he awake yet?"

"He's awake." The Commander affirmed. "But, after all he's been through, he struggling to cope with the situation. I'm sure he just needs a little time."

"Time is one luxury, we don't exactly have an abundance of Shepard." The Illusive Man remarked, as his cold blue eyes glared at the Commander. "We don't know when or where the Reaper's will strike next. You make sure the good Doctor gets over his problems, and is prepared to fight, as soon as possible."

"I gave him a choice!" Shepard exclaimed angrily, uncrossing his arms and pointing a finger at the Illusive Man. "He fights, if he chooses to fight. Cerberus may think they can claim ownership of a person's life, but I don't."

"Shepard..." The Illusive Man's eyes gleamed, as he crushed out his cigarette. "You have the annoying habit of throwing away valuable assets, for something as petty as morality. Don't make the same mistake twice..." He warned.

"He isn't just some asset, he's a human being." Shepard declared, as he waved his hand before him, disregarding The Illusive Man's threat. "And the decision is his. Keep me posted if you hear of any Reaper activity." He finished, as he turned and walked off of the communication platform, causing the Illusive Man's hologram to dissipate.

His steely blue eyes peered into the darkness, where Shepard's hologram stood, as he turned to have a seat. He crossed his legs, as he bowed his head, pressing his fist to his chin. "Idealistic fool..." He uttered, shaking his head, as the red star dwarf outside his window burned furiously.

* * *

"FTL Drives are devices which allow ship's to travel at faster than light speeds through space." EDI's hologram flashed, as Gordon sat at his desk listening intently. His eyes were wide open, despite the dark circles now evident beneath them. "FTL drive cores work by exposing Element Zero to electric currents, creating mass effect fields. It reduces the mass of an object, such as a starship, to a point where accelerations faster than the speed of light are possible."

"Fascinating..." Gordon uttered, as he took in every last bit of information. "So in essence, starship drive cores, are smaller, more advanced anti-mass spectrometers, converting mass into anti-mass... The same principle my gravity gun worked on." Gordon looked off to the side, not focusing on anything in particular, as his eyes fluttered back and forth rapidly. His labyrinthine mind absorbing every ounce of knowledge in its purest detail. "Massive objects that would have otherwise, been impossible to lift, become as light as a feather, as the mass effect fields are generated around them."

"Correct." EDI responded. "However, Element Zero, by nature, is highly volatile and must be refined before being applied to practical use. Utilization of unrefined Element Zero could result in catastrophic energetic events."

"Tell me about it." Gordon reclined back in his chair, shifting his shoulders back, as he stretched. "If only we hadn't been so ambitious..." He uttered to himself, as he sighed. "We could have been the ones that made these breakthroughs. What a wondrous age of discovery it must have been." He vocalized, with his mouth wide open as he yawned.

His door slid open, and a man walked in, as Gordon swiveled his chair around. "Commander!" he exclaimed, as he stood up and looked around for a moment, before presenting an awkward salute.

Shepard chuckled. "At east Doctor." He said, putting a hand up. "If anything, I should be the one saluting you." He said with a grin, as Gordon put his hand down, reciprocating a slight smile.

"I hope I didn't give you the idea that you were confined to quarters, or anything like that, Dr. Freeman." Shepard continued, as he leaned against the wall. "You're more than welcome to explore the ship, and I know a lot of the crew is dying to meet you."

"No, I just uh..." Gordon began nervously, as he shrugged his shoulders. "I've just been catching up on... well everything I suppose. So much knowledge and history to take in, it's a bit overwhelming."

"Well, don't try to take it all in, in one day." Shepard said, as he took note of the circles under Gordon's eyes, completely oblivious to the ones beneath his own. "As you said, it's a lot to take in."

"You should have left me in stasis, Commander." Gordon said, with a sigh, as he turned to face his window, gazing out at the stars. "I don't belong here."

"You haven't lost everything, Dr. Freeman." Shepard remarked. "Humanity survived, thanks to you. And it needs you now, more than ever."

"That's what I don't understand!" Gordon exclaimed, pressing his forehead to the glass. "I'm no soldier, Commander. I'm a physicist for god's sake. Why could you possibly need me?"

Gordon turned around, and walked towards Shepard, shaking his head. "Everything happened so fast at Black Mesa... I was just a scientist, trying to survive. The aliens... the military... I wasn't trying to make sense of it all, I was just trying to get out alive."

Shepard stood up straight, taking a step towards Gordon, the two now face to face. "What about City 17?" He asked. "The rebellion, was that just a fight for survival too?"

"City 17..." He uttered under his breath, as he looked off to the side. "I don't know what City 17 was. I saw things... people suffering... people dying." Gordon clasped his chin, with his thumb and his index finger as he thought back.

"I remember... hearing a woman crying for help, as two Combine metro-cops beat her husband to death." He explained, as Shepard listened intently. "Part of me wanted to ignore it, I told myself to just look the other way, but..."

"But you couldn't" Shepard interjected. "You couldn't just stand by, and watch the innocent suffer, could you?"

Gordon was silent for a moment, as he reflected. "No..." he eventually said. "Before they could turn their batons on her, I ran in and..." He chuckled softly under his breath, as he thought about it. "And bashed their skulls in, with a crowbar."

They both chuckled heartily, at the notion of the Combine bludgeoning. "You can bet they weren't expecting that." Shepard said as they both continued to laugh.

"But, don't you see, Dr. Freeman." Shepard stated, as his laughter came to a stop. "That wasn't survival instinct, that was just you doing the right thing." Gordon clenched his lips, and nodded slightly."

"My old captain had a saying." The Commander continued. "He used to say; Heroes are ordinary men, who do extraordinary things, at extraordinary times." Gordon looked up at Shepard, as he continued, a more resolute expression now evident on his face. "You took the stand, that no one else would, in those downtrodden times. And you did it because it was the right thing to do. THAT'S why we need you."

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Doctor." Shepard continued. "I never really had any family. Never knew my parents. I grew up in the slums of Earth. Did a lot of things I'm not proud of. Used to run with a bad crowd."

Gordon listened intently, understanding the Commander's plight, despite the high contrast of his own childhood.

"At the age of 18, I enlisted with the System's Alliance, to try and get my life together. Do you know why?" Shepard asked rhetorically as he looked at Freeman. "It was because of you Gordon. Growing up, you were always my idol. And eventually I just told myself, that I was going to do everything I could to be like the man in the history books. To be like The One Free Man."

Gordon forced a smile, accompanied by a slight chuckle. "Between the two of us, I think you're the real hero here, Commander. Saving the whole galaxy from those Geth robots, and those human collecting aliens." Shepard raised an eyebrow, as he looked at Gordon with a dumbfounded smile.

"I had a long conversation with Miss Tali." Gordon continued. "She's told me a lot about you Commander, and whatever I may have done seems to pale in comparison."

"Heh..." Shepard chuckled, and shook his head. "Oh Tali, I'm sure she made it sound like I did all that on my own. The fact is, I'm part of a team, a team I'd like you to be a part of."

Gordon turned around, walking back towards his window, clearly sidestepping the issue. "I never had much in the way of family either." He stated, looking out at the cosmos. "Nothing I ever did was good enough for my parents. I left home as soon as I was able to, to pursue an exciting new life as a theoretical physicist." He remarked sarcastically. "Closest thing I had, as far as family goes, was my brother and his family."

"You're talking about John Freeman, right?" Shepard acknowledged, causing Gordon to turn around rapidly.

"You know my brother?" Gordon inquired, perplexed.

"Well, I know of him." The Commander answered. "He was a hero of the rebellion in his own right. When word of the uprising in City 17 spread, cities all over the world began to revolt. In City 23, it was John Freeman, that led it's citizens."

"Heh..." Gordon chuckled, with a tinge of disbelief in his voice. "My Little bro... He used to work in an office, as a claims adjuster. Never would have pegged him for a revolutionary."

"I'm sure people say the same thing about a physicist." Shepard added, smiling at Gordon. "I know his son Henry, was also a key figure in the rebuilding."

"My nephew Henry?" Gordon asked, astonished, as he forced himself to sit back down in his chair, facing the Commander. "Unbelievable..."

"I guess those are just the consequences of living up to the Freeman family name." Shepard told Gordon, as Freeman reclined back in his seat, completely flabbergasted.

There was an awkward silence between the two, before Shepard spoke up again. "This may sound odd..." He said, changing the subject, as Gordon slouched down in his seat. "But I've been dying to ask you a question. Do you have any sort of a military background? Your dossier didn't mention a service record of any sort..."

"No..." Gordon replied, shaking his head, with a puzzled look on his face. "Why do you ask?"

"EDI." Shepard called out, as he walked towards her terminal near Gordon's desk.

"Yes Commander." EDI's blue hologram reappeared, and acknowledged.

"Play back the security feed of the Medical Bay, for March 19th at thirteen thirty-seven hours." Shepard requested, as EDI's hologram was replaced by a three-dimensional holographic view of the med bay interior.

The feed displayed Gordon standing at the far end of the Medical Bay, in an agitated state, as Garrus entered the room. Immediately, upon seeing this, he knew what it was a video of, and prepared for reprimand from the Commander.

"Oh..." Gordon began, as he had almost forgotten about the fracas he had caused a couple of days ago. "I'm so terribly sorry about that, I didn't know wha..."

"Oh, don't apologize." Shepard said, as he looked over at Gordon, interrupting him. "It's completely understandable. And besides, I'm saving this feed forever!" He remarked with a laugh, as he turned his attention back to the feed. "I'll be showing this at Christmas parties. Garrus is one tough SOB, and you managed to knock him right on his ass."

Gordon cracked a smile. "Well, I really should apologize to him, and your crew."

"Don't worry about it." Shepard reassured Gordon, as he continued to watch the video. Seeing Garrus slowly approach Gordon, nonchalantly. Trying to calm him down. "Garrus is a big boy, he'll get over it. But I'd steer clear of him for a while."

"Right there!" Shepard exclaimed, as he watch Gordon snatch Garrus' extended arm, and torque it backwards. Garrus grunted in pain, before clenching his unrestrained fist and taking an unsuccessful swing at Gordon. Gordon ducked, avoiding the shot, then spun Garrus forward, locking his torqued arm behind his back painfully. "EDI, freeze frame." Shepard ordered.

He pointed at the video and turned to Gordon. "That's a military technique, hand to hand combat training. I learned that my first week of basic. Who taught you that?" He questioned.

"Uh..." Gordon stuttered a bit as he looked at the frozen hologram of himself, locking the Turian's arm behind his back, a pained expression on his face. "No one." He answered.

"No one?" Shepard questioned, as he furrowed his brow. "Where'd you learn it?"

Gordon sat silent for a moment, examining the video. Up until now, the whole thing seemed like a blur. He remembered waking up in some strange glowing tank, breaking out, and trying to escape. But now, as he watched himself attack the Turian, he wasn't really sure where he had learned to do such things. He scanned his thoughts for a moment, before speaking once more.

"I was on a catwalk." He began. "Back at Black Mesa. It was suspended high above one of the storage areas. Down below I remember seeing one of the facility's security personnel, and one of the soldiers sent in to silence the facility." He recalled his thoughts, as his eyes fluttered back in forth in their sockets, staring off into space.

"I don't know exactly how it happened, but the security officer had managed to get the advantage over the soldier. He stood pointing his sidearm at the soldier's head, who was completely unarmed." He recalled, before remaining silent for a moment more, then eventually continuing once again.

"Then, out of nowhere, the soldier managed to grab the security officer's armed hand, and disarm it, before he was able to fire. Then with his arm still grasped, he torqued it backwards, locking it behind his back." Gordon tilted his head, towards the video, motioning at Shepard. "Before finally executing him..."

"So you just saw it, and practiced until you learned it?" Shepard asked, astonished.

"No..." Gordon replied dubiously. "I saw it then, and I never even tried it before. I guess it just stuck with me." Shepard looked at Gordon, The Commander's eyes open wide in amazement.

"I've always been a pretty fast learner." Gordon continued. "I could usually see something done once, and that's all it would take. Hell, I had never even fired a weapon before Black Mesa. Not unless you count the butane powered tennis ball cannon I built when I was six." He said, as he chuckled a bit.

"Amazing..." Shepard uttered, as he nodded with a huge grin. "I guess that explains your weapon proficiency."

"I could really use you on my team Doctor." Shepard said, as he looked downward, placing his hands on his hips. "But I'll leave that up to you. At any rate, I have to be going, got some work to do, and some prisoners to che... Hey." He interrupted himself, as a thought crossed his mind, causing Gordon to look up at him.

"How'd you like to see the Beacon of Galactic Civilization?" The Commander asked Gordon, with a slick smile on his face.

"The beacon?" Gordon asked, intrigued.

"The Citadel." Shepard continued. "Fine dining, quality entertainment, and the best shops in the known galaxy."

"Heh..." Gordon chuckled under his breath. "Sure, sounds great. Especially compared to the Citadel I've seen."

"Excellent." Shepard answered happily. "Well then, as I said; you're more than welcome to explore the ship. You should come out and meet the crew, just uh... steer clear of Garrus. And if you need anything, just let EDI know." Shepard nodded as he turned to walk out of the room.

"Commander, wait." Gordon called out, as Shepard stepped through the doorway, causing him to turn around and slowly walk back in. Gordon stood up from his seat, and turned to look out his window once more.

"If I decide, to take you up on that offer, and try and start a new life..." He began, as he stared out into the celestial twilight of the stars and the heavens. "What are your chances of being able to defeat the Combi... uh Reapers?"

"We're facing an enemy, we know very little about." Shepard answered, as he came up to stand behind Gordon. "An enemy capable of enslaving entire species, simply with the will of mind. A fleet of bio-organic machines bent on harvesting all life in the known galaxy." Gordon watched Shepard's reflection in the glass, as he saw a look of dread overcome his face.

"What are our chances?" Shepard continued. "Slim... No matter what, they're slim. But I'd feel a lot better about our odds, with you on board."

Gordon was silent for a moment, as he looked out into the abyss. He thought about his life before Black Mesa. Then he thought about City 17; the genocide, and the indescribable evils he knew the Combine was capable of. He remembered the sharp spur of hope, that lit up on the peoples faces, when he'd show up. And he recalled the pride he took, in knowing that what he did, he did for them. Not for survival, not for self-gratification, he did it for them. Because it was the right thing to do.

Gordon turned to face the Commander, he looked up, staring straight into his eyes. "Commander." He began, with a resolute look on his face. "It would be my honor, to serve under you." Gordon affirmed, as he extended his hand.

A grin overtook Shepard's expression, as he shook his head. "No, Doctor Freeman." Shepard replied, extending his own hand to shake Gordon's. "It would be MY honor, to serve _beside_ you."

In the blackness of space, and the void of the abyss, two men aboard the SR-2 Normandy, stood face to face, making a pact. Heroes may be but ordinary men, who do extraordinary things, at extraordinary times. But there are heroes, and then there are legends...


	15. Chapter 15: Nightmares and Insomnia

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 15: Nightmares and Insomnia**

"Where are you two? You're gonna miss it!" Alyx shouted into the corridor, leading out of the makeshift laboratory.

"Be right there Alyx." Eli turned, and reassured his daughter before turning his attention back to Gordon.

The three had been on their way out to get a better view of their rocket's objective come to fruition, when Eli stopped Gordon to have a word in private with him. Gordon felt a fresh breeze blow in the door, from the outside. It wasn't a cold breeze, but it still managed to send a chill down his spine.

"Gordon..." Dr. Vance continued once again, a spark of pride glowing in his eyes. "Thanks for everything you've done. For Alyx... for all of us. I couldn't be prouder if you were my own son."

"And I couldn't be prouder if you were my own father..." Gordon thought to himself, a warm sense of appreciation coming over him. Though he was too hesitant to actually express it, instead simply listening intently.

"Now when you get back, we've got a lot to talk about." Eli smiled warmly, and turned to walk out of the corridor, with Gordon following.

"Come on!" Alyx yelled as the two stepped outside. Gordon could hear the sound of Dr. Vance's prosthetic leg tapping on the floor, as he put a hand up to shield his eyes from the sudden burst of sunlight. Suddenly, there was a loud metallic thud, as he looked over to spot Dog, now sitting on pavement, observing anxiously. There was a feeling of accomplishment throughout the entire facility, but the next few moments would determine whether or not their strife, and their struggle had been in vain.

"Eli! Gordon! Alyx! Look at the portal!" Dr. Kleiner exclaimed over the loudspeaker, as the four looked on at the torrential maelstrom of light, impaling the Earth's atmosphere.

"Dear god, this has to work..." Gordon heard Eli utter to himself, a sense of despair evident in his voice.

Slowly Gordon stepped forth, coming to stand behind Eli and Alyx, Dog sitting beside him, as the four looked on, praying for providence. Gordon clenched his fists, as he felt his chest tighten, the jitters in his stomach nearly equal to the torrent of the blue whirlpool swirling in the sky. He gulped nervously, as an icy bead of sweat ran down the bridge of his nose, coming to rest suspended from its tip. Eli slowly put an arm around his daughter, embracing her tightly.

"We've activated the resonator!" Dr. Kleiner's voice came bursting through the loudspeaker once more, resounding with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. "This is it!" The three of them gasped, as they took a deep breath, and held it.

Slowly, the giant funnel of light began to narrow in the sky, collapsing on itself. "My goodness!" Dr. Kleiner exclaimed, as there was a sudden blinding burst of light. Gordon put a hand up to shield his eyes, as a blast of air came tumbling at them, followed by the Earth trembling shock wave. "The portal has been neutralized!" Gordon heard over the loudspeaker, as Alyx jumped up embracing her father exuberantly.

A sudden feeling of jubilation washed over the entire facility, as cheers could be heard in the distance. A dark swirling cloud, now the only thing left over, from the Combine's super portal.

"We did it!" Alyx exclaimed out loud, as she squeezed her father tight. "We did it Gordon!" She declared, excitedly as she turned to face him, Gordon nodding in agreement; too thrilled for words.

"We sure as hell did!" Eli assured, as he turned around to face Gordon. "And not a moment too soon." Dog had stood up, and started buzzing and whirring wildly with excitement, as Dr. Kleiner and Dr. Magnusson could be heard over the intercom expressing their own celebrations.

Gordon closed his eyes, and nodded at Eli, a big smile present on his face. He released the breath he had forgotten he was holding in, as he stopped to look at the dissipating cloud above. He closed his eyes once more, taking in another deep breath, utterly lost in the moment. His body shook a bit, as a large chill ran through it.

"They're gonna feel this one." He thought to himself, as he reflected on the major blow they had struck at the Combine. Perhaps now, things were on the brink of returning back to the way they were. Perhaps now, humanity was on the verge of taking back it's planet.

"I'll bet the Combine aren't too happy right now." Alyx said with a chuckle, causing Gordon to open his eyes back up, her saying what he had been thinking.

"You got that right, sweetheart!" Eli responded, with a newfound degree of jubilation in his voice. "But we've got plenty to celebrate!"

"I wish you didn't have to head off so soon." Dr. Vance continued, as he, Alyx, and Dog slowly walked to the White Forest hangar entrance. "If only it weren't so critical."

Gordon had let himself become completely enveloped in the moment, that he had almost forgotten the imperative task that laid before Alyx and him. Of course, after all he'd been through thus far, a simple search and rescue mission sounded as relaxing as a Sunday drive.

"It's okay Dad." Alyx answered her worried father, as Dog began to buzz and whirr. "We'll find Judith, and bring her back."

Unexpectedly, Dog began to thrash about a bit, as he continued to beep and buzz. "Dog?" Alyx asked, confounded as she looked at her quarreled mechanical pet. Suddenly, he scaled the small wall, parallel to the hangar, causing Gordon to raise an eyebrow.

"Hey, where are you..." Alyx tried to inquire, before Dog bolted out of sight, atop the hangar roof. "What a nut..." She turned to Gordon, and said with a chuckle, as her and her father walked towards the door. "Don't go to far!" She shouted out.

Gordon stopped for a moment. Something about Dog's reaction made him uneasy. "He sensed something..." Gordon thought to himself, as he took a quick look around, before a series of beeping noises caused him to turn his attention back down to Alyx and Eli. Dr. Vance was punching a security code into the doors access pad. The door swung open, and the two walked in. Gordon took another quick look around, before shrugging off his feeling of insecurity and following them.

"Well there she is." Alyx turned to Gordon, motioning towards the chopper awaiting them, as the three walked towards the access lift. "Gassed up and ready to go." Gordon felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and a sensation of uncertainty run through his body, as he looked out at the stationary chopper, but he couldn't understand why.

"Remember to keep in constant contact." Dr. Vance urged his daughter, as Gordon slowly walked over to the wire mesh fence, looking out at the helicopter. "We have no idea what to expect."

"Don't worry Dad, we'll be alright." Alyx responded, trying her best to comfort her father.

Gordon turned back around, to face the two. "I just... wish all this didn't have to fall on you Alyx." He heard Eli say sorrowfully, as he caressed his daughters cheek with one hand, tears welling up in his eyes. "Your mother would be so proud..."

It pained Gordon as well, they had just managed to make it back to refuge from the onslaught of their enemies, only to be torn away once more.

"Dad..." Alyx responded, placing her hand over the one still caressing her cheek, as Eli leaned forward, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Come on Gordon." She said, as she turned to face him, trying to hide a sigh under her breath, as they walked onto the access lift. "The choppers waiting for us."

Gordon leaned back onto the interior of the lift's wall, as it slowly lowered itself down. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to catch a breather. With all that he'd been through, he hadn't had a moments peace in days, and he hadn't realized how truly fatigued he had become.

"You're sure you have everything you need?" He heard Eli ask, not opening his eyes, as he tried to enjoy the serenity, despite the loud mechanical rattle of the lift.

"I think so." Alyx replied. "Dr. Kleiner gave us the Borealis coordinates. We'll keep the hailing frequency open on the chopper radio, in case Judith tries to reach us again."

Gordon felt a sudden jolt, as the lift came to a halt, forcing him to open his eyes again.

"Good idea." Dr. Vance responded, as the lift's gate slid open. "She could well make another attempt."

"Oh no!" Alyx exclaimed, as Gordon felt the ground tremble a bit. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot into his head, as if something trying to drill in through his temples.

"Dad! Gordon! Help!" Gordon heard Alyx cry out, as he opened his eyes in disarray and tried to make his way over to them. Before he could, a massive force swept him completely off his feet, and thrust him against the wall. He plowed into it hard, his head careening against the thick concrete wall.

Everything went black for a moment, as the sharp pain rattling in his skull slowly dulled. He opened his eyes in a daze, and spotted Eli and Alyx both laid out on the ground before him. Gordon shook his head, trying to shrug off the disorientation, when he saw a massive black silhouette manifest itself from a large gaping hole in the opposite wall.

He squinted, trying desperately to make out what this large, oncoming object was, before realizing that it was a Combine Advisor that had managed to breech the hangar. "No..." Gordon thought to himself, as he struggled to get to his feet, trying to snap himself away from the brink of unconsciousness.

"Dad!" He heard Alyx exclaim, as something dragged him to his feet. He felt something pushing against him, powerless to move against it.

"Alyx!" Dr. Vance exclaimed, as the two reached for each others hands, before Alyx too, was slammed up against the wall, alongside Gordon. Gordon struggled feverishly, against the incredible force pressing the two against the wall. Slowly, he began to push his arms forward, as he reached for the assault rifle hanging by a strap off his shoulder. Suddenly, a second burst of force shook the hanger, as Gordon's arms were pinned back into place, with authority. He could hear Alyx grunt, and groan, as she writhed, attempting to break herself free, to no avail.

"Listen to me!" Dr. Vance began, as he slowly made his way to his feet, picking up a nearby, discarded lead pipe. He clearly was not restrained by the same force that had subdued Alyx and Gordon. "Destroy that ship, whatever it takes!"

Gordon fought furiously, trying to pry his arms off the wall, but it was no use. He was pinned back like a worm awaiting dissection. The Advisor hovered behind Dr. Vance, as he struggled to his feet, clearly not seeing him as a threat. With its two mechanical eyes, it peered at Alyx and Gordon, pleased with its work.

"Destroy it!" Eli shouted out, as he turned to face the slug like Advisor, slamming the lead pipe hard into its face.

"Don't!" Alyx shouted in terror, as Gordon looked on, still determined to pull himself away from the wall.

"Dad, look out!" She cried out again, as the Advisor's mechanical arm whipped against Eli, knocking the lead pipe out of his hands, and sending him crashing to the ground.

"No! Dad!" Alyx cried in anguish, watching as the Advisor clutched Eli in his arm. "God damn it, let go of him!"

Suddenly a wave of force, tore open the hole in the wall even further, as a second Advisor hovered in. "Oh my god!" Alyx cried out, horrified, as the second Advisor floated in and grasped Eli in its clutches.

"Let him go, you son of a bitch!" Gordon shouted out in a rage. "I'm the one you want, take me!"

Dr. Vance's captor held him up, but turned its attention to Gordon, as he writhed furiously.

"That's right!" Gordon continued to shout. "I'm the one you want, I'm right here." Gordon battled to pry his hands off of the wall, but the restricting force was so powerful, that he was never able to pull more than a few meager inches away.

Unexpectedly, as if having gotten their complete attention, the Advisor holding onto Eli, released him. Turning him around, and sending him slamming onto the wall beside Alyx.

"Gordon, No!" Eli yelled out, as Gordon was slowly pulled off the wall towards the Advisors.

It brought him right to its face, as it slowly began to extend its alien proboscis. A viscous, mucus-like, substance dripped off, as it dangled before Gordon.

"Gordon!" He could hear Alyx cry out, as he peered with a fury into the Advisor's optic lenses. Suddenly, he was spun around and found himself facing Alyx and Eli, the two still pinned against the wall. They both looked at him with a look of terror on their faces. "Gordon..." Alyx uttered, as she gazed at him, with tears in her eyes.

He took one last, long look at her, knowing this was the last time his eyes ever would. The expression on his face, turned from one of rage, to one of sorrow, as he thought of what he knew would never be.

"I'm sorry..." He said to her mournfully. Suddenly, a sharp pain clutched at the back of his head, running down his spine. Gordon extended his fingers out in agony, as the proboscis impaled the back of his skull. His eyes rolled back into his head, as everything faded, and he heard himself take his last breath.

There was only darkness... darkness and the sound of a few dire breaths. Gordon looked around frantically, finding himself, suddenly, in a pit of abysmal oblivion. He could feel himself running aimlessly, but he could only see darkness in every direction. "This place... where am I?" He thought to himself, as he panted heavily.

"Free Man..." he heard a voice call out to him in the distance. A voice, that had become strangely familiar to him.

"Who's there?" He shouted into the blackness. "Show yourself!"

"Free Man..." the voice called out once more, this time it was closer to him. "You must come, Free Man."

Gordon looked around, hopelessly lost amidst the darkness. Every where he turned, and every step he took, led him no where.

"Free Man" He heard again, this time it seemed so close, it sounded like it was echoing in his own head. "Delay no longer Free Man, you must heed."

"Am I going mad?" He thought to himself, as swiveled his head around, looking in all directions, while cautiously backing away. Just then, he felt himself back into something. Slowly, he turned around, fearing what may await him. There, standing before him, was a green, smooth skinned creature. Its four red eyes, peering into Gordon's. "We await you, Free Man!"

Gordon gasped for air, as he sat up in his bed, in a cold sweat. He looked around, spotting the desk he was sitting at earlier. The room was illuminated by the dim glow given off by the stars, flashing by outside his window.

Gordon swung his legs off the bed, planting them on the floor, as he hunched over. He leaned forward, sinking his face into his palms, as his elbows rested on his knees. "What is this...?" He uttered into his palms, as he shook his head.

* * *

The entire room was bathed in a dim, indigo glow, given off by the nearby aquarium. A light bubbly sound could be heard, along with a soft water drip, that would have been relaxing for most.

Commander John Shepard, laid in his bed, peering out at the stars, through the skylight in his quarters. His hands were clasped behind his head, as he laid wide awake, a multitude of thoughts running through his mind.

Tali had been sound asleep beside him, laying on her side, facing outward. Just then, she tossed around, turning to face him and draping her arm across his chest. She had cracked her eyes open, only for a moment as she turned, causing her to notice Shepard, laying wide awake.

"John?" She said, lifting her head off the pillow, her arm still draped over him. "What's wrong?" She asked, worriedly.

Shepard was silent for a moment, as he continued to look upward. "Nothing..." He said, as he shook his head. "Just having a little trouble sleeping, that's all."

Tali sat up a little. "You haven't slept in almost four days, John." She continued, a profound sense of concern in her voice. "And yet you're laying there, wide awake. Are you sure you're alright?"

Shepard looked over at Tali, giving her a smile, as he pulled one of his arms out from behind the back of his head, putting it around her and pulling her down towards him. She laid her head on his shoulder, as he gently caressed her arm, through her suit.

Shepard released a long drawn-out sigh, as he began to speak, still looking up at the stars. "I've just... just been thinking, that's all."

"About what?" Tali asked, her head still resting comfortably on Shepard's shoulder.

The Commander was silent for a moment, as he clenched his lips. "Just wondering when all this will end..." He finally spoke out. "I mean, first it was Saren, and the Geth. Then the Collectors, and now Harbinger is using the Vorcha." Shepard said, with a sigh as he shook his head.

"How long... until they actually succeed?" He asked rhetorically, a tinge of despair evident in his voice. "How long can we keep them at bay?"

"We'll find some way to beat them." Tali reassured him, as she tilted her head upward looking at him. "We stopped Sovereign, and we've stopped Harbinger. The Reapers have got to be getting pretty desperate by now. And I know everyone on-board is with you to the end."

Shepard forced a smile, looking down at her, the spark of optimism in her eyes, bringing him a small sense of relief.

"It's not just that..." He uttered, as his forced smile slowly dissipated. "I wouldn't care if I did this until the day I die... at their hands or otherwise." He said, shaking his head. "This isn't what I wanted for you Tali..."

Tali looked up at him, lightly lifting her head off his shoulder.

"Don't get me wrong." He continued. "There's no one else, in the Universe I'd rather have by my side than you." He declared, as he squeezed her tightly.

"And there's no where I'd rather be." She affirmed, as she laid her head back down to rest on his shoulder, squeezing him in return.

Shepard began shaking his head, in an agitated manner. "But if anything ever happened to you... I"

"John, listen to me." Tali began, interrupting Shepard, before he could finish. "As long as the Reapers are out there, there's no safer place than by your side. And besides, like it or not, you're stuck with me." She said, as she laughed softly.

Shepard smiled and looked down at her, he lifted his head a bit, as he kissed the tip of her faceplate lightly, before laying his head back down. Though he hadn't felt better about the enemy they were facing, he felt better knowing that he wouldn't face it alone.

They settled in together, snuggling tightly, as Tali started to drift off into sleep once more. There was a long silence between the two, as The Commander yawned, before his eyelids finally began to feel heavy.

"So what do you think Tali?" Shepard started once again, his voice slowly drifting.

"What?" She asked softly, slowly fading away.

"Wouldn't it be nice to just..." He was interrupted by a long yawn, as his mouth forced itself wide open. "To just settle down and leave all this behind?"

"mmhmm..." Tali uttered, quickly dozing off.

"We'll find our own planet, somewhere." He said, as he closed his eyes. "Far away from galactic civilization. Just the two of us"

"mmhmm..." She uttered once more, softer than before.

"We'll build a huge house." He slurred, as his words slowly started becoming inaudible. "And every morning... we can look out at the sunset... from the veranda overlooking our own..." His mouth opened wide, as he yawned again. "private ocean. Doesn't that sound nice?" Drifting off into sleep, as he said it.

Tali moved closer to him, as she squeezed tightly, softly caressing his shoulder. "It sounds wonderful..." She uttered, before finally nodding off.


	16. Chapter 16: Revelations on the Citadel

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 16: Revelations on the Citadel**

"Attention, crew." A voice came in over the Normandy's intercom, causing everyone on-board who had busied themselves with their daily tasks, to drop where they were doing and heed. "This is Commander Shepard. We will be docking with the Citadel in about fifteen minutes" Shepard continued speaking, as he stood over the Normandy's galaxy map. "If anyone has anything they need to do; make purchases, pick up mail, have a drink, you're free to do so. But you have one hour, before we pull back out of port. I expect everyone back on board, and at their stations at that time. That is all."

Shepard finished, and turned to walk off the Galaxy map platform, to find himself face to face with Garrus, who was toying with his targeting visor.

"Shepard." Garrus began. "What's the name of that shop you're always raving about on the Citadel? The one you say is your favorite?" He asked.

"Saronis Applications." Shepard replied cheerfully.

"Right, that's the one." Garrus continued. "Gonna check out the scouters. I've recalibrated this one over a dozen times, but it's still off." He tapped on the blue visor suspended over his left eye. "I think it may be time for an upgrade."

"Just ask for Marab." Shepard responded, nodding his head. "He's the one that runs the shop. A Salarian, he knows his stuff."

Just then, the Normandy's elevator door behind them slid open, revealing the awestruck Dr. Freeman. Gordon slowly stepped out, peering in all directions completely lost in fascination.

"Great..." Garrus uttered with disdain. "Here comes egghead. I'm gonna go prep the prisoners, Shepard. See you when we land." "Right." Shepard responded.

Garrus headed into the elevator, passing Gordon on the way. His eyes locked onto Freeman's staring a look of contempt right through him, before stepping on, the door sliding closed behind him. Gordon thought about trying to apologize, but somehow that didn't seem a good idea at the time.

"It's the One Free Man!" Gordon heard a voice yell out, as he turned to see a crewman wearing the same Cerberus attire as him, quickly approach him. "He-Hey! Dr. Freeman. Man it is an honor to meet you." The crewman exuberantly extended a hand.

A confused smile came over Gordon's face, as he extended his hand to shake the eager crewman's. "Uh, thanks." Gordon responded cheerfully. "It's an honor to meet you too."

"The name's Victor Ramirez" The crewman stated, as he continued to shake Gordon's hand, using his free hand to pat Gordon on the shoulder. "You know, my son raves about you all the time. I can't wait to tell him that I've actually met you."

"Raves?" Gordon asked dumbfounded. "About me?"

"Yeah!" Ramirez exclaimed excitedly. "He's a history buff, he loves studying the Earth Rebellion. In fact his last report was on you. He got an A!"

Gordon shook his head, and chuckled a bit. "Well I'm glad. He sounds like a very bright young man."

"That he is..." Ramirez nodded with a twinkle of pride in his eyes. "That he is. Well I gotta be getting back to work, but I'll see you around, Dr. Freeman."

"...You too!" Gordon stuttered a bit, before responding, still amazed at the reception he received. The two shook hands once more, before Ramirez turned around and headed back to his work station.

"Nice to meet a fan, isn't it?" Gordon recognized Shepard's voice coming from behind him. Gordon took a long gaze around the command deck of the ship, as he turned to face the Commander.

"It's so strange to hear people refer to things, that just happened to me days ago, as history. At least it seems like only days ago." He began, with a sigh, shaking his head a bit. "Takes some getting used to."

"I can imagine." Shepard responded, nodding. He was silent for a moment, as Gordon continued to look around the command deck, the galaxy map having caught his eye.

"So..." Gordon turned back to Shepard, breaking the silence. "Is there a specific duty, you'd like me to perform? Do we have a mission or anything like that?"

"That eager for combat, eh Doctor?" Shepard asked jokingly.

"No, not especially..." Gordon responded. "Just looking to get a feel for what we'll be up against."

"Right now, we're pulling into the Citadel for a prisoner transfer." Shepard answered back, looking down at a data pad in his hands. "As for the Reapers, we have no leads at the moment. I have to wait to hear back from the Illusive Man, if there have been any sightings or activity. Until then, we just have to remain vigilant."

"Understood." Gordon responded, while nodding, still gazing around the command deck.

Shepard grinned a bit before speaking up again. "Why don't you head up to the bridge, Dr. Freeman? You'll get a great view of the Citadel before we dock." Shepard pointed outward, with his thumb, down the walkway leading to Normandy's bridge. "And I know Joker'd like to meet you."

"Joker?" Gordon questioned, turning his attention back to Shepard, not noticing the tattooed woman stepping off the elevator behind him.

"Our pilot." Shepard replied. "Best in Citadel Space. He could thread a needle with this bird if the situation called for it."

Gordon nodded for a moment, before replying. "Sure thing." He answered. He was never one for meet and greets, but if this ship was going to be his new home, and these people would be the ones he'd be fighting alongside, he figured he may as well.

Gordon took a step back, and began to turn around, when he found himself face to face with strange woman, as he bumped into her. She was covered in a variety of tattoos, exhibiting a plethora of exotic patterns and designs. Her head was completely shaven, and she wore a skintight leather vest, held in place by two thick leather straps.

"Oh..." Gordon stuttered a moment, at the initial shock of seeing the unorthodox woman before him. "Excuse me miss, I'm sor..."

She shoved him back hard, unexpectedly, interrupting him. "So this is Gordon Freeman, huh?" She began, clearly unimpressed. Gordon, fortifying his stance for whatever may come. "Heard you were supposed to be a real bad ass..." She stated sarcastically, slowly walking around Gordon, like a vulture circling its prey.

"You don't look it..." She went around full circle, coming to a stop in front of him. A snide grin on her face. "Pfft..." She snickered loudly. "I'll save my opinion about you for when I actually see what you can do... Later four-eyes." She dismissed him and strutted away, into the ship's nearby armory.

"You'll have to pardon Jack." Shepard ushered in with a chuckle "She can be a little abrasive sometimes. But she's not usually so gentle, I think she likes you." Shepard continued to laugh, as he turned his attention back to the data pad in his hands. Gordon stood there for a moment, his mouth agape, overcome with a stunned silence.

"EDI, realign the aft rudder, would ya?" Joker addressed his blue holographic companion, as he manipulated his holoterminal controls. "That last turn seemed a little sluggish."

"My readings do not indicate any problem with the rudder, Mr. Moreau." EDI refuted. "Perhaps the issue is simple human error."

"Human error..." Joker responded, as he rolled his eyes annoyed. "That's your answer for everything. Yeah like you're so perfect."Joker snickered, as he heard footsteps approaching the bridge.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Joker heard an unfamiliar voice behind him, causing him to swivel around in his seat.

"Whoa!" Joker exclaimed excitedly. "Doc Freeman, in the flesh. Nice to meet ya, name's Jeff Moreau, but you can call me Joker."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Moreau." Gordon declared, extending a hand.

"Careful not to squeeze too tight Doc." Joker reciprocated, hesitantly extending his hand to be shaken. "Vrolik Syndrome, brittle bones."

"Oh." Gordon replied surprised. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that."

"Don't be." Joker affirmed, shaking his head with a smile. "I'm not. Doesn't stop me from being the best at what I do. Oh, and please don't call me Mr. Moreau. Only one person on this ship calls me that, and it's creepy enough coming from her."

"Mr. Moreau is simply uncomfortable with etiquette, formalities, and protocol." EDI interjected from her terminal on the bridge.

"See what I mean?" Joker motioned, tilting his head towards EDI. "Creeeeepy..."

"Heh..." Gordon chuckled lightly with a smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Excuse me a sec, Doc." Joker stated, as he swiveled back around in his chair, facing his controls once more. "Gotta take care of something."

There was a loud mechanical hum as the Normandy's window shutters slowly slid open.

"My god..." Gordon uttered under his breath, as he beheld the massive five-armed structure before him. The citadels arms gleamed under the lavender light of a nearby star. Ships in a variety of sizes and designs bolted past them, both coming and going from the behemoth structure, as it bustled with activity.

"Citadel Control, this is the SR-2 Normandy requesting permission to dock." Joker asked via the ship's comm radio, as Gordon marveled, completely awe struck.

"I never imagined such things could exist..." Gordon uttered softly to himself, as he stepped closer to the window, completely oblivious to Joker's radio communication.

"Well not by the hands of man." He heard The Commander's familiar voice answer his rhetorical comment. He turned to find Shepard standing behind him.

"Or by any species in Citadel Space, for that matter." Shepard continued, crossing his arms.

"Who built it?" Gordon inquired, turning back to look out, at the various oncoming buildings and city structures, as Joker maneuvered them in.

"The Reapers did..." Shepard answered despondently, shaking his head. "It was built as basically a giant rat trap. Every bit of information about any of the Citadel races, goes directly through that thing's computer systems..." The Commander began to explain, as Gordon turned around to listen, his eyes narrowed.

"Tactical information, warfare technology, colonization data, everything... And then when the Reapers feel the time is right, they actually use the Citadel as a giant Mass Relay, to open a gateway to wherever it is they come from." Shepard bowed his head, as a slight chill shook his body. "And if that ever happens... well – we join those that came before us in extinction..."

"Wait..." Gordon answered back. "But if we know all this, why is it continually used? Why hasn't it been destroyed?" He asked, utterly confused.

"As I said before Dr. Freeman." Shepard responded. "We're fighting a war. And for a war you think you'd have a fleet." The Commander said, while shaking his head. "There's no fleet, no army, it's just us. Most of the galaxy dismisses the idea of Reapers as a myth... campfire ghost stories, stuff like that."

"But..." Gordon interjected. "Miss Tali told me that a Reaper, as you call them, actually did attack the Citadel a few years ago. An attack that you and your crew managed to stop. Wasn't that proof enough?"

"Hmph..." Shepard chortled sarcastically. "You'd think so... The Galactic Council was convinced that it was all just an elaborate 'hoax' orchestrated by a single rogue Spectre..." Shepard shook his head, as he uncrossed his arms, placing his hands on his hips. "They were content in pretending the whole thing never happened..."

"Well..." Gordon responded, turning back to window, watching as Joker pulled them in to dock. "I guess Einstein was wrong..." He uttered.

"What do you mean?" The Commander inquired.

"The Universe, and human stupidity aren't the only things that are infinite." He turned his head, to face Shepard. "He wasn't counting on the other races of the galaxy." They both chuckled, feeling a slight tremor, as the Normandy docked into place.

* * *

"Lieutenant Commander John Shepard, I'm here on Spectre business." Shepard explained to one of the agents at the Citadel's Customs Checkpoint, having bypassed the long line awaiting admission.

"Transporting two prisoners to C-Sec. And these three are with me." Shepard scanned the illuminated omni-tool on his hand over the agent's terminal, confirming his identity.

Garrus kept the two Vorcha in submission, as restraints kept their arms tucked tightly behind their backs, and shackled them together. Tali was standing beside Shepard as he cleared their admission, while Gordon kept his distance, looking around in awe at the incredible structure and various alien races of the Citadel.

"Of course Commander." The Customs agent replied. "Go right on through." She cleared them for access as the five entered the Citadel.

Gordon walked backwards, in astonishment, gazing at the vehicles flying about overhead, as if living in some sort of science fiction novel.

"Alright." Shepard began, turning to Tali and Gordon, as Garrus continued on with their prisoners. "I'm going to head over to C-Sec and hand in our two Vorcha friends. Tali, why don't you show Dr. Freeman around the Citadel? We'll catch up with you later"

"Sure." She affirmed, Gordon still looking in all directions with his mouth agape. Shepard leaned forward, embracing Tali for a moment, and kissing the tip of her faceplate, before he turned around, and walked off with Garrus.

"Watch it, Earth clan!" Gordon heard someone exclaim, although he wasn't sure from where. He heard loud respirator-like breathing, and the voice seemed to be coming from in front of him, but he didn't see anyone. "Stand aside, I have important business matters to deal with, and you waste my time!"

Gordon looked down, where he thought he heard the voice coming from, to find a stout, pudgy little creature, covered head to toe in a brown full-body suit, somewhat like the one Tali was wearing. "Oh... uh, excuse me." Gordon uttered, as he stood aside allowing the little creature passage, as he waddled along on his merry way.

"The Volus..." Tali said, as she came to stand beside Gordon. "What they lack in height, they make up for in crudeness." She chuckled softly, as Gordon shook his head and smiled.

"Come on." She motioned him to follow, with her hand. "We'll take a rapid-transit cab to Zakera Ward. It's where most of the shops and clubs are located on the Citadel."

Tali approached a small terminal, on a stand, pressing it. In a matter of moments a vehicle approached, and lowered itself down, landing before them, swinging its door open upwards.

"No one drives these things?" Gordon asked, noticing the empty interior, as Tali climbed in.

"It's all automated." She responded, as she situated herself on the far seat. "It's alright, come on."

Gordon nervously climbed in, and had a seat, as the door swung closed. There was no steering wheel, no controls, the only thing noticeable was a small screen on the center of the dashboard.

"Please indicate destination." An automated voice sounded, within the vehicle.

"Zekera Ward." Tali acknowledged. Almost immediately, the vehicle's engines hummed as it lifted off, startling Gordon a bit, and took off.

"So people don't drive anymore?" Gordon asked, as they joined a stream of air traffic.

"People still drive." She assured him. "Most places, however, have rapid-transit stations, for those that don't want to."

"I see." Gordon nodded, as he starred out the window. Seeing the various buildings and vehicles blurring past them.

"This atmosphere... those lakes..." Gordon began again. "It's all artificial isn't it? And I'm assuming each of the arms has its own mass effect field generator, which is what creates the false, inverted gravitational pull, correct?"

"That's right..." Tali replied, slightly stunned at Gordon's adeptness. "I'm impressed Dr. Freeman."

"This thing is big, but it's not that big." Gordon answered, smiling as he continued to look out the window. "Its gravitational force should be no stronger than that of the moon, or a small planet. But it felt like I was standing on Earth. Two and two..."

"That's still impressive." She reassured him. Just then, their cab slowly pulled itself out of the stream of vehicles, as it began to make its decent. The door swung open, shortly after the cab touched down.

"That will be twenty-two credits." The cabs monotonous robotic voice declared, as Tali materialized her omni-tool, sweeping it over the cabs monitor. "Thank you. Have a nice day."

Gordon slowly stepped out of the cab, and turned to assist Tali. "Oh, Thank you, Doctor." Tali said to him, as the door of the cab swung closed, lifting off.

"My pleasure." Gordon replied, cheerfully nodding. He turned around, to find himself in a hub of bustling activity. Everywhere he looked, there were various alien species, walking about, carrying on with their daily regiments. There were neon lights, and holographic signs everywhere. He could hear music in the distance, and hear vendors calling out, trying to get customers' attention. Every time he'd thought he'd seen everything, something new managed to pop up and take his breath away.

"Incredible..." He thought to himself.

"Genuinely excited: Human." He heard a strange monotonous voice speak up, as he turned to notice a strange cylindrical device, displaying a holographic advertisement. "How long has it been since you've had an Elcor deep-tissue massage?"

"Is... that thing talking to me?" He asked, as he approached the hologram, which sparked up when he neared it.

"Confidently: Our experts at Xelroc and Xaltar know the secrets to your deepest degrees of relaxation. Reassuringly: Our techniques have been in practice for thousands of years, and we have perfected the art of deep-tissue massage. So delay no further," "bio-signature not recognized." A robotic voice interrupted the large alien's monotonous speech, before it continued once more. "Make an appointment today!"

"What was that?" Gordon questioned, not entirely sure what he had just witnessed.

"Just an advertisement." Tali responded. "They react to whoever's closest to them."

"What did it mean by 'bio-signature not recognized'?" He asked.

"Your DNA was never coded into the galactic bio-signature registry." Tali began to explain. "A persons bio-signature contains all their information; criminal records, medical history, credit accounts, everything."

"Oh, I see." Gordon replied.

"The system has been around for about a hundred years or so, so your signature hasn't been imprinted yet. I know Miranda was working putting you into the system, but I guess she hasn't finished yet." Tali informed him.

"Miranda?" Gordon inquired, the name not ringing any bells.

"She's a Cerberus operative on the Normandy." She answered. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll meet her."

* * *

"Garrus!" A haggard man, wearing a C-Sec uniform shouted out, upon seeing the Turian. "You old snake in the grass, how are you? And Commander Shepard, what brings you two back to the Citadel? Thought you boys were out saving the galaxy."

"Bailey, you old bastard." Garrus replied, stepping forward to shake hands with the C-Sec captain. "You know we're never too busy to haul in scum for C-Sec."

"Hello, Captain Bailey." Shepard stepped in, shaking the captain's hand as well, once Garrus was done.

"Commander." Bailey nodded, as the two shook hands. "Vorcha huh? Don't get too many of their type around here. Most of what they do is outside of C-Sec jurisdiction. What's the charge?"

Shepard brought his two Vorcha prisoners forth, as they growled and hissed rebelliously. "These two were part of the raiding party that attacked and destroyed the Aurora."

"Ah, yeah..." Bailey responded, as he looked at the two vile creatures. "I heard it went missing about a week ago. Never woulda guessed Vorcha though. My money was on Batarians. Are they mercs?"

"You could say that." The Commander responded. "These are the only two that survived. I tried to save some of the crew, but I was too late."

"I believe you Commander." Bailey assured him. "Do you have any evidence?"

"I thought the word of a Spectre would be evidence enough." Shepard asserted. "More than that, I can't give you."

"No, You're right... you're right..." Bailey assured him, putting a hand up, to excuse himself. "And I'm not about to start second guessing the man that saved the Citadel."

"Lanthe!" He called out, getting the attention of a young Turian working at a nearby desk.

"Yes sir!" The Turian hurried over, saluting his superior. He didn't notice Garrus, taking a long hard look at him.

"Take these two in for processing." Bailey ordered. "Mugshots, prints, you know the drill."

"Yes, sir! Right away sir!" Lanthe responded, taking hold of the two Vorcha prisoners. "Alright you dregs, move it! Lets go!" He shouted at the Vorcha, shoving them along as the three disappeared into a back room.

"Geez, Bailey..." Garrus ushered in, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "Recruiting a little young aren't ya? I don't think I was even out of the academy when I was his age."

"Who Lanthe?" Bailey answered back, leaning back in his seat. "He's a sharp kid. He's young but hes a straight shooter. Plus we've been undermanned ever since Saren's attack. Most of our newer guys are fresh out of the Academy."

"Hmm..." Garrus nodded. "Well he seems ambitious enough. Keep him on the straight and narrow, would ya. Take care of yourself you ol' Varren." Garrus turned back to Bailey, shaking his hand once more.

"You do the same, Garrus." Bailey stood up, shaking the Turian's hand, then turning to shake Shepard's. "You too Commander."

* * *

"It's been almost an hour." Tali informed Gordon, as they browsed the shops. "We should start heading back."

"Sure." Gordon agreed, as he followed her.

Although the painful memories of those he loved, lost, and left behind still weighed on his mind daily, he began to feel a small sense of belonging. He knew it was only a matter of time before he found a weapon in his hands again. But seeing the various races of the galaxy together, in one place, breaking bread with one another... He knew it was something worth fighting for.

"This one begs your pardon, human." A strange glowing, creature addressed Gordon as he and Tali passed by. Its voice seemed to echo with an almost other worldly resonance. "But have you heard the word of the enkindlers?"

"Excuse me?" Gordon asked confounded. "Are... you speaking to me?"

"Yes human." The strange, jellyfish-like creature continued. "This one wishes to spread the word of the enkindlers to all who would hear it. They gave the Hanar language, and gave the universe the mass relays."

Gordon looked around, as if hoping to spot something. "This one what? I don't understand... who are you talking about?"

"Come human, and rejoice. This one will teach yo..."

"Thank you, no. That's quite alright." Tali interjected, interrupting the preaching Hanar. "We have to be on our way." Tali declared politely, shoving Gordon along.

"Very well, this one wishes you good fortune, and good tidings. Go in peace." The Hanar finished, before returning to his sermon.

"What was he talking about?" Gordon asked Tali, as they walked further into the market district. "What did he mean by 'this one'?"

"That's just the way Hanar speak." Tali informed him. "They're nice enough, as far as species go. But give them a minute of your time, and they'll take an hour..." She shook her head as they continued on. Gordon still trying to take in as much of the sites and knowledge as possible.

"Tali! Dr. Freeman!" The two heard a voice all out to them, from behind.

"Look, there's John." Tali said to Gordon, as she turned around, noticing The Commander approaching them, weaving in and out of the sea of patrons.

"So, Dr. Freeman..." Shepard addressed Gordon, as he met up with them, putting an arm around Tali. "What did you think of the Citadel?"

"Phew..." Gordon answered, with a sigh, shaking his head. "In a word... breathtaking. As I said on the ship, I never knew such things could exist."

Shepard smiled and nodded. "Yeah it's definitely something. We should probably head back to the ship though."

"Where's Garrus?" Tali asked, as the three turned and walked towards the nearest rapid-transit terminal.

"Oh, he went to buy himself a new targeting visor." Shepard answered. "His has been acting up. He'll meet us back on the ship."

With Tali still on his arm, Shepard pressed the rapid-transit terminal button, hailing a cab.

"Ahh!" Gordon, suddenly grunted in pain, as he clenched the sides of his head, with his hands. His eyes wide open. A pain, unlike any he had known before shot through his eyes, and seemed to drill at his temples. Suddenly his mind was alive with visions, and memories of his past.

"Good morning, and welcome to the Black Mesa Transit System."

"Now, now... if you follow standard insertion procedure, everything will be fine."

"I never thought I'd see a resonance, cascade... let alone create one."

"Their idea of containment is to kill everyone associated with the project!"

"It's time to choose..."

"Dr. Freeman, I presume..."

"Dr. Freeman! We're coming with you!"

"What I've seen is also beyond words Breen! Genocide, indescribable evil..."

"Prepare for unforeseen consequences..."

Gordon writhed in pain, clenching at his head, as his mind echoed with the apparition of a multitude of haunting memories, each clawing at his mind.

"No, we didn't have any problems. Bailey took the Vorcha in for processing, and that was it." Shepard conversed with Tali, as their cab arrived. They were completely unaware of Gordon's plight behind them, not having heard him over the bustling market activity of the Citadel.

Suddenly, a new voice made itself known is Gordon's mind. This was no longer a memory, but definitely something familiar. "Free Man." He heard the voice call out to him. The same voice that had called to him in his dreams. Suddenly things became clear... He understood what it all meant.

"Dr. Freeman?" Tali finally took note of Gordon clutching at his head, with a pained expression on his face, as she turned preparing to step into the cab.

Suddenly, Gordon collapsed onto his knees, falling forward onto his hands. "Dr. Freeman!" She exclaimed as both Tali and Shepard rushed over to his side, seeking to aid him.

"I need a medic here!" Shepard yelled out, knelt at Gordon's side as they both attempted to figure out what was wrong with him. "Now!"

"No..." Gordon said, shaking his head, breathing heavily... "That's alright, I'm fine..." Gordon struggled, slowly getting to his feet, as Shepard grabbed his shoulder helping him up.

"What happened?" Shepard asked worriedly, keeping a hand at Gordon's back, making sure he was stable enough to stand.

"Some old friends..." Gordon answered, sounding completely exhausted. "I know where we have to go..."

* * *

Somewhere in the black abyss of space, a lone Repear traversed the galaxy, with the most malicious of intentions. Its eyes burned brightly, with the semblance of a demon, as its cold mechanical body glided through the void.

"The Vortesscent Ones..." The Reaper's deep chilling voice, resonated within its own mind. "At long last, they have revealed themselves once more... The hour of salvation draws nigh." The massive insect like creature slowly began to change course. "Salvation, through annihilation..."


	17. Chapter 17: Set a Course

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction** Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 17: Set a Course  
**

"The coordinates given, do not appear in my databanks." EDI's voice announced in the Normandy's comm room, although her physical holographic appearance was not present. "The destination is a considerable distance outside the confines of charted space."

A galaxy map appeared over the conference table in the comm room, a beacon flashed, indicating the coordinate's location, far outside of citadel space.

The Commander stood at the head of the table, his hands planted on it, as he leaned forward. Tali and Gordon stood on either side of the table, looking on. Garrus was at the opposite end of the table, shaking his head with his arms crossed at the ridiculous notion.

"Are you absolutely certain about this, Dr. Freeman?" The Commander turned to Gordon and asked, with a tinge of doubt in his voice.

"Absolutely." Gordon affirmed, confidently. "It was the Vortigaunts. They've been trying to contact me. I thought it was only nightmares at first, but after what happened on the Citadel..."

Gordon stopped for a moment, and shook his head, as he listened to himself speak. "I know how ridiculous this must all sound, but they want us to go there. On the Citadel, it was like a flood of deafening memories echoing in my mind. When it was done, I had those coordinates in my head."

Gordon looked over at The Commander, a resolute expression on his face. "I don't know if they need our help, or if it's something else... But I know it was the vorts, and I know whatever it is, it's of dire importance."

"You can't be serious..." Garrus interrupted with a scoff, slamming his hands down on the table. "Shepard, you can't tell me you're actually considering this."

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but..." Gordon turned to Garrus, trying to explain.

"The only thing that's crazy to me" Garrus interjected, interrupting Gordon. "Is why you're even on this ship in the first place. And now, you expect us to go off on some wild goose chase because you're having bad dreams... give me a break." Garrus said snidely, shaking his head.

"Listen, I know we got off on the wrong foot." Gordon attempted to get a word in edgewise. "But, I'm really very sorry about what I did. I was..."

"Stuff your apology, egghead!" Garrus replied, angrily. "When I ram your head through a table, then we'll be square."

Tali looked back and forth from Gordon to Garrus as the two argued, surprised to see Garrus in such an agitated state. Shepard stood up straight, shaking his head in disapproval, and crossing his arms.

"Well, look... if that's all it'll take, then by all means..." Gordon continued, attempting to quell the angry Turian.

"You callin' me out, egghead? Is that it?" Garrus took a step around the table, and slowly began to walk towards Gordon with a purpose.

"No, please... you misunderstand me. That's not what I..."

"Cause, I got no problem doin' it right here..." Garrus came up to Gordon, looking down at him, as Gordon's eyes starting to flare up in return.

"That isn't what I was getting at!" Gordon shouted angrily, fortifying his stance, and taking a step towards Garrus, as he clenched his fists. The two now face to face. "But if that's what you want, I'm right here..." He affirmed, spreading his arms.

"Come on then, science boy!"

"ENOUGH!" Shepard shouted, putting a stop to the debacle before the comm room turned into an arena. "Both of you! You will stand down!"

The two huffing squad members stopped, and turned to face Shepard; Gordon bowing his head slightly, as the two looked away from each other.

"Garrus..." Shepard began, addressing the Turian, causing him to look up to face the Commander. "When you asked for my help, to track down Saleon, I put the entire mission on hold to help you. The same goes when you wanted to track down Sidonis, and I did it gladly." Garrus bowed his head, nodding his head shamefully, as he sighed.

"We've been in a lot of foxholes together Garrus. And we've known each other long enough, that you know you can trust my judgment." Shepard continued. "So I'm asking you now... to trust me."

Garrus turned to face Gordon, and took a long hard gaze at him, as Gordon returned the favor. Saying nothing; Garrus turned, with a jerk, and headed for the door.

Before exiting, he stopped and turned to face Shepard. "I trust you Shepard..." He affirmed. "And where you go, I follow. But it doesn't mean I have to like it." He turned back around, and walked out of the comm room; the sleek, metallic door, sliding shut behind him.

Shepard sighed in frustration, shaking his head as he clenched his lips. "EDI." He called out, as he looked back up at the galaxy map. "How long would it take us to reach those coordinates."

"Even at FTL speeds" EDI's voice came in, once again. "the journey would take approximately three point twenty-seven days. However, the Normandy's fuel tanks do not possess the capacity needed to make this trip and return. And there are no known fuel depots in that region of the galaxy."

"So, we need to upgrade our fuel tanks..." Shepard replied, still looking at the galaxy map. "Easy enough, what's the nearest major space port?" He questioned.

"The nearest major space port, without returning to the Citadel, in the opposite direction." EDI informed, as she zoomed the galaxy map onto a familiar blue planet. "Would be The Eli Vance Intergalactic Starport, on Earth."

"The Eli Vance...?" Gordon uttered to himself, in surprise, as he looked up at the holographic map.

"Earth it is then." Shepard confirmed. "Have Joker set a course for EVIS."

"As you wish Commander." EDI's voice replied, as the star map before them dissipated, revealing Gordon and Shepard, on opposite sides of the table, to each other.

"Dr. Vance had a port named after him?" Gordon asked, with an awkward smile.

"Indeed he did." Shepard responded. "The largest space port on Earth."

Gordon nodded for a moment, contemplative, before speaking again. "Commander... I apologize for my behavior. I was simply trying to make a mends."

"I know you were, Dr. Freeman." Shepard responded, nodding his head with his eyes closed. "But you struck a nerve with him."

Shepard looked down at the floor placing his hands on his hips. "Garrus has got to be one of the toughest S-O-Bs I have ever met." The Commander continued. "There are few people I trust as much as him to watch my back in a firefight. Did you know, he once managed to unite the three strongest mercenary groups in known space, with the singular purpose of killing him?"

"No... I didn't" Gordon replied, shaking his head, a look of amazement coming over his expression.

"That's how he got that scar on his face." Shepard continued. "When you took him down so easily, you hurt his pride. And for someone like Garrus, there is no greater wound. As I said, I'm sure he'll get over it, I just don't know when..."

"I understand..." Gordon replied, feeling utterly at fault for the predicament. "I'm sorry I caused all this."

"Eh, don't worry about it." Shepard reassured Gordon, waving his hand before him, as he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, there's one other thing, before I forget. Tali, do you have his..." He turned, asking the Quarian beside him.

"Yes, right here." Tali answered his question, before he had a chance to finish asking it. She materialized an orange, glowing holographic object in her hands, same as the kind he'd seen her use before. Tali walked around the table, towards Gordon, omni-tool in hand.

"Hold out your hand." Tali instructed, as Gordon looked at the glowing object in her hands. "Face down, palm flat."

Gordon glanced over at Shepard, as he complied. She slid the glowing omni-tool onto his hand and it immediately vanished, as he felt a slight tingling sensation.

"Wha... Where'd it go? What happened?" Gordon inquired, as he brought his hand close to his face, examining it, turning it back and forth.

"Hold out your hand, like this." Tali held her hand out infront of her, like someone would glancing at a wrist watch, cupping her fingers, causing her own omni-tool to materialize.

Gordon observed her motions carefully, performing the same actions. He held out his arm, cupping his hand. Suddenly an orange holographic apparatus appeared, encompassing his forearm.

"Amazing... but how?" He inquired, completely intrigued.

"Miranda finished coding your DNA into the galactic registry." Shepard began to explain. "Your omni-tool has been coded to your bio-signature. When you put it on, millions of microscopic imagers fused into your pores, that was the tingling you felt."

"Some, like mine, are built into suits." Tali ushered in. "But most of the time they are encoded specifically to a person's bio-signature."

"Incredible." Gordon chuckled, with a smile, as he began to manipulate the controls on his newfound device, with an almost instinctive knowledge of it's workings. He somehow managed to bring up a screen displaying his own vital signs. Then he managed to bring up a screen displaying the complete structural layout of the SR-2 Normandy.

Suddenly, a woman's voice came in over his omni-tool, as he continued to toy with it. "Citadel Security has confirmed that the SSV Aurora, the cargo freighter that went missing a week ago, was destroyed by a Vorcha raiding party. When questioned about this new development, Captain Armando Bailey had this to say: I'm just going to go on record to say, that I have it from a very reliable, trustworthy source, that the Aurora was destroyed. We have two suspects in custody, for questioning, and I have no further comments at this time."

Tali and Shepard looked on, completely speechless and awestruck, as Gordon continued to explore the functions and capabilities of this strange new device, almost like a child with a new video game.

Suddenly, Gordon looked up, and noticed the eyes on him. "Heh..." he chuckled nervously, putting his arm down, causing the omni-tool to dematerialize. "I've uh... seen you use yours." Gordon shrugged his shoulders as he looked over at Tali.

"Uh... anyway." Shepard continued, shaking his head, with a dumbfounded grin."You're in the system now. Miranda put two thousand credits into your account, to start you off. So, anytime you need to purchase anything, simply scan your omni-tool over the checkout terminal. Same goes for taxi services, and stuff like that."

Gordon nodded his head, as he was careful to pay close attention to the explanations given to him.

"Oh, and you've also received the same special clearance, as the others on my squad." Shepard continued. "Since you're associated with a Council Spectre, you have the authority to carry weapons on any of the planets and stations under Citadel Law."

"Weapons?" Gordon asked dubiously. "Is there a standard issue?"

"There is." Shepard replied. "But I know Mordin's been working on something special for you. It's not ready yet, though."

"What is it?" Gordon queried, curiously.

"I'm not sure." The Commander responded. "He's been at it since we pulled you out of stasis. Haven't really asked him though, he doesn't like being bothered while he's working."

"Oh, that's quite alright." Gordon answered, putting his hands up. "The last thing I want to do is get on anyone else's bad side."

Shepard chuckled a bit, as he thought about the notion of Mordin and Gordon meeting. "Ah, don't worry Dr. Freeman." Shepard began to speak, still chuckling. "I have a feeling you two are going to get along fine. Hell even your names sound alike." He said as he continued to laugh, causing Gordon to join in.

"John." Tali leaned onto Shepard, speaking softly. "I'm going to head back down to Engineering. I bought some new power converters on the Citadel. I want to see if they can increase the drive core's output capacity a bit."

"Ok." Shepard leaned closer to her, kissing the tip of her faceplate. "I'm just about done here as well, I'll be in our quarters when you're finished."

"Oh, and one other thing." Tali said, as she leaned forward, as close as she could, draping her hands onto his shoulders. "I also picked up some immuno-boosters, and antibiotics." She whispered into his ear, causing a sly smile to show on his face.

Tali slowly removed her hands from his shoulder, sensually dragging them down his chest slowly, before removing them. She smiled under her helmet, as she turned and walked out of the room. Shepard grinned as he watched her leave.

Shepard shook his head a bit, trying to shake the grin off his face, as he turned back to Gordon. "So... Dr. Freeman. If there's nothing else..." Shepard paused a moment, waiting to see if Gordon would supplement him with a reply.

"No." Gordon supplemented. "Thank you, Commander."

Shepard nodded once, and turned to head out of the room.

"Actually, wait..." Gordon said out abruptly, stopping Shepard mid-step, as he turned back to face Gordon. "When I told you about my vision, and I gave you those coordinates... You didn't hesitate at all, making that our destination. I heard what I was saying, and I know how ridiculous it must have sounded..."

Shepard looked on, nodding his head with his eyes closed, as he listened to Gordon nervously explain himself.

"I'm just wondering..." Gordon continued, placing a fist under his chin. "What made you accept what I was saying, so readily?"

"I'm not one to dismiss visions, Dr. Freeman." Shepard answered back. "Two years ago, when we saved the Citadel, it was visions that led me to Saren and helped me uncover the Reapers' plot. Visions given to me by a Prothean artifact, left behind by them, so that we might not succumb to the same fate."

"I don't know what we're gonna find out there." Shepard continued, crossing his arms. "But I have a feeling it might just be what we've been looking for, whatever that may be."

Gordon nodded his head gratefully. "Well, I want to thank you Commander." He began. "For everything you and your crew have shown me, and done for me. Thank you for your kindness."

"It's my pleasure, Doctor." Shepard replied, as the two walked towards the door, making their way out of the comm room. "So, I imagine you're eager to see Earth again, after a hundred and seventy-nine years."

"Heh..." Gordon laughed. "I just hope it's in a better state, than when I last saw it. And as long as there isn't someone on a giant screen, welcoming me there, I'll be glad." Gordon affirmed, as they both chuckled heartily, walking out of the room. The large metallic door, sliding shut behind them.


	18. Chapter 18: Earth 2185

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 18: Earth 2185  
**

"Sir." A Quarian holding a data pad extended a hand to Shepard, as he walked out of the jetway, off the Normandy. "Velo'Det nar Reezah, Chief Mechanic, at your service. What seems to be the problem with your ship?" His enviro-suit, though not unkempt, was smeared and stained with grease. And he wore a Systems Alliance patch on his shoulder.

"Commander John Shepard." He began, extending his hand, and shaking the Quarian's as he stepped off the jetway, into the massive Starport. "Nice to meet you. You know, I don't see too many Quarians on Earth."

"Heh..." The mechanic began with a chuckle. "Yeah, no kidding. Most Quarians don't venture this far out, unless they're on their pilgrimage. I've been on mine for almost six years now."

"Still haven't found that special something, eh?" Shepard inquired, as his crew slowly started to pour out of the jetway behind him, conversing among themselves, and dispersing into the bustling crowds of the starport.

"I'm not even sure I'm still looking." the Quarian continued, lowering the data pad in his hands. "Got work here six years ago, fixing RT cabs. Before I knew it, I was chief mechanic here at the EVIS. Funny how things work out sometimes." He said, as he chuckled a bit under his helmet.

"But anyway, what's the uh... trouble with your ship?" Velo'Det queried.

"No trouble." Shepard affirmed, shaking his head. "I just need her fuel tank capacity upgraded. Making a rather long trip."

"Okay, no problem." The mechanic replied, looking down, once again at the data pad, inputting some information. "It looks like your crew already knows this, but I am required to inform you that before any work will begin on your vessel, all personnel must be off it."

"Yep." Shepard acknowledged, as the various members of his crew continued to exit the Normandy behind him. "They're clearing out now."

"Alrighty." The Quarian nodded once, lowering his data pad once again. "Well, I'll be back with a maintenance crew once your people have cleared out."

"Understood." Shepard affirmed, nodding. "Thank you." The two shook hands briefly once more, before the Quarian turned, and walked away.

"Hahahaha!" The Commander heard a distinctive cackle echo from the jetway behind him, causing him turn turn around, as the various members of his crew continued to walk out, conversing amongst themselves.

"These Striders you speak of, sound like a fine kill!" Shepard heard Grunt exclaim, as he watched the Krogan come walking out of the jetway, alongside Gordon. "A fitting prize, for a worthy hunter."

"Heh..." Gordon chuckled a bit, as the two walked out of the jetway, a grin on his face. "Well, it was hardly sport. But a fine kill nonetheless, I suppose."

"Battlemaster!" Grunt called out heartily, as they encountered the Commander, standing outside the jetway. "I was regaling our newest of kin with the tale of the thresher maw we slew on Tuchanka."

Grunt pounded his hand, hard on Gordon's back, leaving a stinging sensation, and causing him to stumble forward a bit. "And he in turn, was telling me of mighty, three-legged, metallic beasts, that once roamed the Earth. For a mere human, this one seems to have brass!"

"Thanks..." Gordon uttered, with a pained expression on his face, as he held his shoulder with one hand, rotating it as he tried to shake off the sting. "Glad you think so..."

Gordon looked up, seeing the flutter of activity of the spaceport. Although, the neon lights, and holographic signs everywhere were reminiscent of The Citadel they had just visited. A sensation of pride overcame him, as he saw the people of his planet living normal lives, without the looming, malevolent shadow of the Combine.

"Puhh... So this is Earth?" the Krogan grunted, as he looked around the spaceport, comprised predominantly of humans. "Seems to be nothing more than a pit of soft, overfed, warm-bloods."

"Battlemaster" Grunt turned to Shepard. "I will take my leave. Perhaps I can find a good meal, and a good fight."

"You behave yourself Grunt." Shepard called out, with his hands on his hips, as the Krogan turned to walk away.

"I see you've met our resident Krogan." Shepard said with a grin, to Gordon, who was still trying to shake off the sting of Grunt's camaraderie. "He seems to have taken a liking to you."

"Yeah..." Gordon began, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I hope so. The last thing I need is someone else on your ship, hating my guts. Especially someone like him..." Gordon looked down, snickering as he shook his head.

"I was wondering, Commander." Gordon continued as he started to look around. "Would it be possible to take a look around, outside? After nearly two centuries, I'm eager to see the Earth again, without ruin."

"Of course, Dr. Freeman." Shepard responded, grinning as he nodded his head. "It'll be a few hours before we can leave, anyway. There's a rapid transit terminal over there." Shepard turned, and pointed at a series of small mounted consoles, as people boarded and left the automated taxis. "Just have one take you to ground level. You know how to make use of the omni-tool."

Gordon nodded contently, as he began to make his way towards the terminals. "Actually..." Shepard interjected, causing Gordon to stop. "Why don't you... take one to the Gordon Freeman Memorial Park. I forgot, it's not too far from here."

Gordon furrowed his brow, and shook his head trying to make sure he had heard correctly. "I'm sorry, say again..." He requested, turning his ear toward The Commander.

"The Gordon Freeman Memorial Park..." Shepard reiterated, with a slick smile. "It's the site where your... quote unquote 'final battle' took place." He remarked, air-quoting with his fingers.

"Wait a minute." Gordon said, pointing down at the floor, as he made a realization. "So this is... We're near White Forest?"

"Well this is where the White Forest compound used to be." The Commander answered. "But the entire city itself adopted the name 'White Forest'."

Gordon shook his head, with an uneasy grin on his face. "What an uncanny coincidence, that I'd end up right back here." He uttered.

"Well, no coincidence, really." Shepard continued his explanation. "EVIS is Earth's primary starport. When the rebuilding began; the first major settlements were established in this area. Before long, it became Earth's largest city, and well... here we are."

"Ah, I understand..." Gordon nodded his head. "Well, it's still rather uncanny. Thank you, Commander. I think I..." Gordon laughed to himself, under his breath, at the notion of a park named after him. "I think I will have a look at this park."

Shepard gave Gordon a slight nod, grinning at him, before turning his attention back to the jetway, making sure everyone was out.

Gordon approached the rapid-transit terminal, pressing the only visible button on it. Within moments, a taxi like the one he had seen on the Citadel, slowly hovered in, touching down before him, and opening its door. Gordon climbed in, and shut the door behind him.

"Please specify destination." A monotonous robotic voice beckoned him.

"The... Gordon Freeman Memorial Park...?" Gordon stated, questioningly. Almost immediately after saying it, the cab lifted up and took off. There was a massive opening, high in the wall, that allowed access, as various cabs traversed into and out of the Eli Vance Intergalactic Star Port.

Gordon shielded his eyes, as a sudden burst of sunlight came pouring in through the windows. Slowly, as his eyes adjusted, he removed his hands and a huge smile overtook his expression. He looked around, in complete awe, his mouth agape as he beheld the Earth of the 22nd century.

His taxi joined a stream of air traffic, as he pressed his hands onto the windows, peering out. There were gigantic advertisements, and holographic billboards everywhere. Even in midst of midday, the city seemed to give off, an almost astral glow. Towering skyscrapers, ascended into the heavens, as his cab weaved in and out of the airborne traffic.

Even though this was where the White Forest compound once stood, any trace of it had long since vanished. Even the geography didn't seem familiar. The entire landscape below him, once completely covered in wilderness, now thrived with gleaming structures of glass and steel. In the distance, however, he could still see mountains splashed against the blue sky, as they cascaded across the horizon.

His smile slowly began to dwindle, as the memories of his past slowly crept up on him. He thought of the hardships, and turmoil that plighted so many. He thought of those that gave their lives willingly, in the hopes that one day their children would know a life without oppression. He thought of the ones he had left behind, in a time that he belonged to. And he thought of her...

After a few minutes, Gordon took his attention away from the window. Sighing, he slouched down into his seat, as the painful memories took hold of him, tearing open old wounds. He didn't even notice the cab pull out of traffic, as it slowly began to descend on its destination below.

"Alyx..." He uttered under his breath. "I'm so sorry..." Gordon bowed his head, clenching his eyes shut. "Maybe..." He thought to himself, as a familiar knot in his throat made its presence known. "Maybe we could of..." Gordon placed one hand, over his eyes, pushing his glasses up, toward his forehead.

A slight thud shook the cab, as it touched down near a large, grassy area, supplemented with trees, bushes, and flower gardens, intersected by concrete sidewalks.

"I never even got to tell her..." His mind continued to plague him, the thud not phasing him in the slightest, as the cabs door swung open.

"That will be twenty-nine credits." A monotonous robotic voice declared, momentarily snapping him back to reality.

Gordon held his arm out, cupping his hand to materialize his omni-tool. He examined it on his forearm a moment, before nervously scanning it over the dashboard console, hoping it would work.

"Thank you." The cab's voice acknowledged his payment. "Have a nice day." Gordon released a long, drawn-out sigh, as he stepped out of the vehicle. It's door closed behind him, and its engine slowly started to hum, as it lifted off, and bolted towards its next fare.

Gordon turned and looked into the park. It was enclosed in wrought iron fencing, intermittently interrupted by large stone columns. He stood before a large, steel archway, held up by two large cobblestone pillars. Across the top of the archway, letters welded into the steel spelled out: Gordon Freeman Memorial Park.

Much like the Citadel, Gordon looked into the park and saw a variety of species walking about, carrying on with their daily lives. Children ran around, laughing, as they played tag. Or perhaps it cops and robbers, or maybe even Spectres and Reapers. Couples of various species sat at park benches, feeding pigeons. He noticed a blue skinned woman, like the one he'd seen on the ship, running by in a skimpy jogging outfit.

Gordon sighed lightly, as he slowly walked into the park. The burden of his memories, still weighing heavily on his mind. He placed his hands into is pockets, as he walked, a despondent expression on his face. A cool summer breeze blew past him, ruffling his hair. His slow, rhythmic pace continued as he walked, looking toward the ground, lightly shaking his head at nothing in particular.

"Hey, Nerdo!" A child's shouting caught his attention, as he looked up and around to spot an adolescent boy. He was holding his hands over his face, forming circles around his eyes with his fingers. "Nice, Gordon Freeman costume! Not!"

The boy turned to face his two friends, one of which was not a human child; resembling the alien that wanted to ram his head through a table.

"What a freak!" The three cackled and ran away laughing. Gordon looked down at himself, examining his person as the three ran away. In this day and age, his glasses might as well have been accompanied by a powdered wig, and pantaloons.

Gordon shook his head, shrugging his shoulders, not letting the young adolescents bother him. Suddenly, something in the distance caught his eye. It was some sort of monument. As he approached it, he could make out a man's back, as he stood tall atop... something. Not taking his eyes off it, Gordon slowly made his way around to the front.

"It can't be..." He uttered under his breath, as he slowly began to make out the visage of a man wearing a concrete HEV suit.

Gordon stood in awe, looking at his concrete counterpart. He stood, fully clad in his old HEV armor, standing tall atop what appeared to be the mangled, concrete head of a Combine Hunter. His right hand pointed off, into the distance, as if preparing to lead an invisible army into combat. And in his left hand, he gripped a very familiar red and silver piece of iron, tightly.

Just then, he noticed the bronze plaque, mounted onto the massive stone stand, supporting the statue. He adjusted his glasses, as he stepped closer to read it.

DR. GORDON FREEMAN  
(ACTIONS NOT WORDS)  
1971 – 2006

HEROES ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE  
WHO DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS  
AT EXTRAORDINARY TIMES

MAY THIS MONUMENT FOREVER STAND  
AS A TESTAMENT TO THE  
INDOMITABLE WILL OF HUMANITY  
AND MAY IT FOREVER GUIDE  
OUR PATH

He stood reading it, from behind a protective guard rail, almost wanting to reach out and touch it, to make sure it was real. "I don't believe it..." He said, shaking his head, as he leaned onto the rail for a moment.

"Dr. Freeman, I presume..." His eyes opened wide, as he suddenly heard a woman's voice behind him, bringing the memories of his first fateful encounter with Ms. Vance, flooding back.

"Alyx?" He exclaimed, as his face lit up, turning with a jerk.

"Oh..." Gordon uttered, as he turned to see who addressed him. She was a slender woman of average height, with dark, medium length hair. She wore a tight white, leather uniform with black sleeves, contouring perfectly to her voluptuous figure.

"I'm sorry... I... I thought you were someone else." His expression slowly faded back into despondence, doing his best to politely force a smile however.

"It's quite alright." She stated with an Australian accent, a big smile on her face, as she looked at him. "I'm Miranda Lawson, one of your crew mates on the Normandy." She slowly stepped toward him, extending her hand. "It's a privilege to meet you."

"A privilege to meet you as well, Ms. Lawson." He extended his hand to shake hers, a bit of apathy in his voice.

"The Commander told me I might find you here." She continued. "I've been wanting to meet you since they brought you on-board, but I've been so busy entering your bio-signature data into the Citadel registry."

"Oh, thank you for that." He replied. There was an awkward silence between the two, as Gordon attempted to keep his forced smile evident. He slowly turned back to face the statue, leaning on the guard rail once again as she came to stand beside him.

"Man of few words, aren't you?" She asked cheerfully, as she looked over at him.

"Hmm?" It took him a moment to respond, as his mind ran rampant. "Oh, I'm sorry..." He said, turning his head toward her. "Just... got a lot on my mind."

"It's alright." She assured him, as she turned to lean backwards onto the rail, still facing him. "I'm actually partial to the strong silent types myself."

Gordon grinned a bit, as he looked back up at the crowbar wielding statue. A gust of wind howled past them, blowing through their hair.

"Rather impressive, isn't it?" She asked him, as Gordon turned to her, not entirely sure what she was talking about. "The statue, I mean." She specified as she stood up straight, turning around.

"It's..." Gordon began, searching for the right words. "Well quite honestly, it's incredible. But, I just don't think I deserve something like... this..." He said as he put his hands out, pointing them towards the monument.

"Well, why not?" Miranda inquired, in her soft Australian voice. "Had it not been for you, humanity may not have survived."

"But it wasn't just me!" He said, almost shouting, as he gripped the rail tightly. "So many people gave their lives for a chance at a better future. They're the real heroes, where are their statues?" Gordon beckoned as he bowed his head, shaking it.

"I'm sorry, I just..." He looked up at her, trying to excuse his outburst.

"Dr. Freeman, I understand." Miranda came up to him, placing a hand gently onto his shoulder, and squeezing it softly. "I know you must feel torn between worlds. But the fact is, all the heroes of the rebellion are remembered in their own way. They have things like streets, schools, and libraries named after them."

Gordon nodded as he listened, realizing what she was saying was true.

"We just came from the Eli Vance Spaceport... and just down the street is the B. Calhoun High School." She informed him, causing Gordon to snicker cheerfully, at the fact that his old friend had a high school named after him.

"And just up the road, into the hills" She continued, pointing at a winding road that led into the distant hilltops. "Is the White Forest Memorial Cemetery... where most of them were laid to rest."

A forlorn expression came over his face, as he peered up in the direction she was pointing. "They're up there?" He asked, barely audible.

"Yes." Miranda affirmed. "And they built this for you, in a debt of gratitude. The One Free Man." They both gazed up at the monument, as it loomed over them heroically.

"It is an amazing likeness." Gordon stated, looking up. "The suit, my glasses, hell even the crowbar looks like the one I used to have."

"That is the one you used to have." Miranda informed him. "It was recovered from the wreckage of your last battle."

"What?" Gordon asked in shock. "It can't be the same one... How has it not succumb to oxidation, after a hundred and seventy-nine years?"

"I don't know." Miranda responded with a grin, as she crossed her arms looking up at the crowbar in the statues hands. "It's a mystery. It's also been the cause for that statue to become romanticized with fairytale myths and folklore."

"Really?" Gordon inquired, intrigued. "Like what?"

"Well they say stuff like: As long as that statue holds that crowbar, the Combine will never return to Earth." Miranda replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes and placing her hands on her hips. "Things of that nature."

"Huh..." Gordon chuckled a bit, shaking his head at the notion. "How about that... Still, it's strange. That crowbar and I have been through a lot together, and yet through some astronomical series of coincidences, it's always managed to find its way back to me."

Gordon clenched his lips as he looked up at his old companion, its silver tip still managing to give off a faint gleam of sunlight. "Not this time I guess... Would be nice though."

"You'd want it back?" Miranda asked, dubiously.

"Well, of course." Gordon affirmed, confidently. "That was the first weapon I found at Black Mesa, after that no matter how many times I managed to lose it, it always made its way back to me. Call it sentiment, call it superstition. I don't know, I'd just feel better if I still had that thing with me."

Miranda's eyes narrowed, and she tapped her index finger against her chin, as a thought crept into her mind.

"Oh well." Gordon said, shrugging his shoulders. "At least I'll always know where it ended up."

"Excuse me, sir." A woman's voice, accompanied by the sound of loud respirator breathing caught his attention causing him to turn. There was another light-blue skinned woman, with ruffling on her head, accompanied by a stout little companion, in a brown body suit.

"I don't know why we need a picture of the Earth Clan..." Her short, aggravated companion complained, breathing heavily through his suits respirator. "This planet is abhorrent, I don't really want to remember it."

"Oh, honey shoosh!" The Asari reprimanded her Volus mate, before turning back to Gordon. "Sorry, you'll have to excuse my husband. I was wondering if I could take your picture."

Her request made Miranda giggle a little, under her breath and caused Gordon to raise an eyebrow. "Uh..." Gordon uttered, confounded – not sure exactly what to say.

"You look just like the man in the statue. I was wondering if I could take your picture standing next to it." The Asari tourist explained.

"Uhm... Sure... I guess...?" Gordon stuttered to respond, with an uneasy smile, standing up straight next to statue as Miranda backed away out of frame, laughing the whole time.

"Could you try to pose the same as the statue?" The Asari requested, as she materialized an omni-tool in front of her. "Sorry, your resemblance is uncanny, especially with those things on your face."

Gordon looked over at Miranda, as she stood off to the side, nearly in stitches. "Yeah, Dr. Freeman. Strike a pose!" she said, while laughing.

Gordon shook his head, as he too couldn't help himself from chuckling, as well. He turned back toward the Asari, pointing a hand outward, and looking out into the distance ominously.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed, followed by a bright flash of light. "This'll look great on my Babblr page!"

* * *

"So there we were!" Jacob Taylor regaled the Commander as the two sat at a nearby bench, overlooking the work being done on the Normandy. "These Batarian raiders had us completely pinned down. We were out numbered, and running low on ammo. We're all thinkin 'this is it' you know?"

Shepard nodded as he listened intently, to Jacob spin his tale. "So what did you do?" The Commander inquired, eagerly.

"Well, as we're pinned down" Jacob continued. "my buddy Jenkins just pulls out two pistols, holds 'em up and yells 'Alright chumps, lets do this!' and just vaults over the sandbag mound, guns a blazin'!"

"No!" Shepard exclaims in disbelief, as the two chuckled.

"Yeah, I shit you not!" Taylor assured him, as he continued. "So the rest of us figure 'shit, we gotta save em' So we all vault over! It took the Batarians by complete surprise. They never knew what hit 'em. Before we knew it, my company was the only thing left standing."

Shepard let fourth a loud whistle. "I guess the simplest strategy is sometimes the best."

"I guess so." Jacob replied, as the two laughed over their war stories.

"Commander." The two heard Miranda's voice, as she approached them.

"Hey, Miranda." Shepard acknowledged her presence, as he leaned back on the bench, from the edge of his seat. "Were you able to find Dr. Freeman?"

"Yes." She replied. "In fact, that's what I came to talk to you about."

"Is something wrong?" Shepard inquired, a bit of concern now in his voice. "He and Garrus didn't uh..."

"No no, nothing like that." She responded, laying his concerns to rest. "I just think I know of something that can help him out. Make him feel more at home."

The Commander locked his hands, behind his head as he leaned far back. "I'm listening..."

* * *

There was a knock at the door.

"Enter." A man at his desk, with a deep, raspy voice, called out, not looking up from his work at his holoterminal.

"Sir..." A tall man, in his mid twenties, opened the door, and stuck his head in timidly. "There's someone here to see you."

"Is it policy now, to let any vagrant off the street in to see the Governor, Wilcox?" The man at the desk asked cynically, continuing to work at his terminal, never once looking up at the nervous young man at his door.

The man sitting at the desk, was haggard and held a sour expression on his face. His hair, what was left of it, was a dirty white. And the top of his head was riddled with liver spots. He wore an expensive, amber colored suit, and a gleaming nameplate on his desk, read: Governor Mark Henry Eden.

"S-Sir... This is different." The stuttering young man stepped in, and assured The Governor. "He says he's a Council Spectre."

"A Spectre?" Eden finally stopped, and looked up at his assistant. "What the devil would a Spectre want here? Who is it?"

"Commander Shepard, sir." The nervous assistant answered. "The human Spectre."

"Shepard?" Eden shouted out, eagerly. "Wilcox, why didn't you say so! See him in, see him in!"

"Yes sir." Wilcox nodded, and disappeared out the door. "Governor Eden will see you now, Commander." The Governor heard his assistant say through his White Oak door.

The door opened once again, and the gray armored figure stepped in.

"Commander Shepard!" Eden exclaimed, as he stood up from his desk, extending his hand. "What an honor it is to meet you!" Shepard walked over, and the two shook hands. "The honor's mine, Governor." Shepard responded.

"Please!" Eden exclaimed happily, motioning with his hand at the two chairs before him. "Sit, sit. What can I do for Earth's favorite son?" He inquired, as he sat back down in his extravagant, leather upholstered chair.

"I came to make a special request, Governor." The Commander informed, as Eden reclined in his seat, smiling as he twiddled his thumbs.

"Absolutely!" The haggard Governor exclaimed, without hesitation. "Just name it."

"I came to request the crowbar, off of the Freeman statue, in the Freeman memorial park." Shepard asserted, leaning forward with a fist on his knee.

"Crowbar?" The Governor furrowed his brow, at Shepard's strange request. "Well if you want a crowbar, we can get you a crowbar, Commander." He pressed a button on his terminal. "Wilcox, come in here."

"No, I didn't say 'a' crowbar." Shepard reaffirmed, stringently. "I said the crowbar from the Freeman statue."

Just then, the door opened from behind the Commander, as the young Wilcox walked in, nervously.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Wilcox queried, before being stopped by Governor, putting a hand up, and turning his attention back to Shepard.

"But why?" Eden questioned, shaking his head, in confusion. "What possible use could a man of your training have for it?"

"Just call it mission critical equipment." Shepard sat up straight in his chair, crossing his arms, and giving the Governor a stern look.

"I... I'm sorry Commander." Eden glared at Shepard angrily as he spoke. "But I won't do it. I'm not about to deface a National Monument."

"I'm not asking you to deface anything." Shepard rebutted. "Have the crowbar replaced with a reasonable facsimile. No one has to know, if anyone asks, say it was taken to be cleaned."

"Besides..." Shepard remarked with a sly grin, as he leaned back in his chair, with his hands clasped behind his head. "I'd hate for the Council to hear that you refused to cooperate with one of their Spectres."

Eden sighed, as he slouched down in his seat, shaking his head. .

"Uhm, sir..." Wilcox ushered in, as he walked over toward the frustrated Governor. He had been standing by the door patiently, since being summoned, careful not to interrupt.

"What is it, Wilcox?" Eden asked, as his assistant came to crouch beside him.

"Uh, sir..." He said, whispering to the Governor, doing his best to make sure Shepard didn't hear him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think the Citadel Council had any jurisdiction here on Earth."

Eden swiveled his chair around, as he began whispering back to his assistant. Shepard still sitting patiently with his arms crossed, awaiting an answer.

"Officially, no..." Eden replied, in a faint whisper. "But the rest of the council races already aren't too fond of human kind. The last thing we need is a Spectre saying we refused to cooperate."

"But sir..." Wilcox responded, as the two continued to converse in private. "Don't we have a human in the Council now? Surely, he'd agree with us at how ridiculous this request is."

"Anderson? You must be joking!" Eden scoffed at his assistants naivety. "Shepard is Anderson's poster boy. He'd never take our side over his."

Shepard rolled his eyes, at the two in their own private meeting, as he sat impatiently.

"Well..." Wilcox began, as an idea popped into his head. "What if we just gave him a fake?"

"Preposterous!" Eden replied, immediately shooting down the idea. "You think he wouldn't be able to tell the difference?"

"Well, we could muck it up." Wilcox answered. "A little dirt and grime, to give it that aged look. We already know it isn't rusty. How could he tell the difference?"

"Hmm..." Eden pondered on the idea. "Do you think it could work?"

"It's worth a shot, sir." His assistant replied. "We'll just hand it to him, and say it's the real thing."

Eden nodded, and swiveled back around in his chair, as Wilcox stood up from his crouched position.

"Commander!" The Governor began, with a large, somewhat devious, grin on his face. "After much deliberation, you'll be happy to hear that I have decided to grant your request."

"Excellent." Shepard affirmed, as he stood up immediately and turned around, heading toward the door. "I'll be at the statue to oversee its removal. Please don't keep me waiting."

Shepard opened the door, and walked out as Eden sat at his desk, a scowl now on his face.

Eden let out a long, drawn-out sigh. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk, clasping his fingers together, and resting his forehead on his hands.

"Wilcox..." Eden uttered calmly, with his head down.

"S-Sir?" His assistant stuttered nervously, fearing reprimand.

"I just want you to know, that thanks to your ingenious idea... you will be working in the cafeteria from now on..."


	19. Chapter 19: A Long Trip

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 19: A Long Trip**

A sleek, metallic door slid open, as Councilor David Anderson made his way into the hallway leading to the Human Embassy from the Embassy lounge. He held a data pad in his hand, going over it as he walked.

He walked through a second door, as he entered the Human Embassy, overlooking the shimmering lakes of the Presidium below. He looked around the seemingly large, empty room, expecting to find Ambassador Udina, but seeing no one.

Taking a few steps inward, however, he began to make out the distinct sound of someone speaking. He tuned his ears as best he could, to try and locate the source, which was definitely nearby.

"Yes... Yes, I understand." Udina affirmed, as he sat alone in his private office, within the Human Embassy. The room was dim, lit only by the faint light shining in through his windows, from the Presidium.

He was seemingly speaking to himself, as he set at his desk, his eyes void of all emotion, staring blankly at a strange artifact on his desk. It was a black, metallic object, with three protrusions from its base, that grooved and contoured upward, forming a pyramid shape. Possessing the semblance of some new form of contemporary sculpture, save for the strange rhythmic hum it seemed to be resonating.

"It will be done, as you ask." Udina continued. "You have nothing to fear."

"Udina?" The door slid open, as Anderson stepped in to his office. The Ambassador shot up from his seat, rushing over to greet Anderson, nervously.

"Councilor, Yes! What can I do for you?" He questioned, with a fair amount of urgency in his voice.

"I could of sworn I heard you talking to someone, Ambassador." Anderson claimed, suspiciously.

"Uh... you did!" Anderson replied, stuttering with his answer only for a moment. "I was contacting my wife, back on Earth."

"You never mentioned, ever being married before, Ambassador." Anderson stated, the suspicious still looming in his voice.

"Forgive me, Councilor." Udina bowed, as a bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck. "I don't like to mix my personal life, and my political career." He replied, easing Anderson's worries slightly. After all, here was a man who would gladly miss his own child's graduation, if it meant an opportunity for re-election. That is to say if he has any to speak of.

"Now, what is it I may do for you, Councilor?" Udina inquired, with the utmost politeness and respect.

"I just came by to let you know that the Council has agreed to have audience with the dignitaries from Earth, Ambassador." Anderson replied, not able to help himself from looking around Udina's shoulder onto the artifact on his desk. "I have to ask, however, what is that thing on your desk?"

"W-What, this?" Udina replied, attempting to sound nonchalant, but a tinge of nervousness in his voice. He stepped aside, giving Anderson a better look. "Just a souvenir I picked up on my vacation to Virmire. I've been using it as a paper weight."

"Strange looking paper weight..." Anderson uttered, as he got a little closer to inspect it. There was a slight ringing in his ears now, and something unsettling about the object. But most of his life was spent as a soldier. It wasn't surprising to him that he didn't understand modern sculpture.

"Hmm..." Anderson looked up from the sculpture, back to Udina. "At any rate, have the dignitaries know that the Council will have Audience with them, Ambassador."

"Of course, Councilor." Udina bowed as he responded. "Thank you."

* * *

"Normandy SR-2." A voice came in over Joker's radio, as he worked the controls. "This is EVIS tower control, you are clear for departure. Locking clamps disengaged."

"Roger, tower control." Joker responded, carefully sliding the thruster control forward. "Normandy SR-2 over, and out."

The Normandy's back burners lit up, as it slowly began to pull out of the spaceport's docking station. The sudden shift in inertia rattled the crew momentarily, before they returned to their duties, nothing they weren't all used to.

The sunlight gleamed off of the Normandy's pristine, metallic plating, as she slowly pulled out into daylight.

It hovered for a moment, in a clearing outside of the EVIS, as Joker continued to work his controls. Suddenly, a bolt of force sent it hurdling up into the wild blue, as she disappeared into the stratosphere.

"Everything working alright?" Shepard asked, as he stood overseeing takeoff. He was dressed once again, in his standard Cerberus uniform, similar to the one that Joker wore. And he was holding a long, thin object in his hands – wrapped in a white cloth.

"Yep." Joker responded, as the blue sky outside of the window slowly faded to black, revealing a tapestry woven of stars. "I'm reading green across the board, Commander. And the new fuel tanks are filled, and working fine."

"Good." Shepard nodded as he turned, to walk away from the bridge. "Settle in Joker, we got a long trip ahead of us."

"Yeah, I sure hope Freeman knows what he's talking about..." Joker remarked, mostly talking to himself now as Shepard walked out of ear's reach. "Because I've always wanted to visit the middle of nowhere..."

Shepard walked down the pathway, leading away from the bridge. His crew members were busy at their respective stations, monitoring everything from flight conditions, to mass effect field generator status. Each would stop, as The Commander walked by, turning to him and nodding in salute, as a show of respect.

He approached the Galaxy map, walking around it heading towards the Tech Lab, before stopping at Yeoman Kelly Chambers' station.

"Hey, Kelly." He called out, as she stopped her work at her terminal, behind the galaxy map.

"Yes, Commander." She responded, cheerfully.

"Is there anything I need to know?" He questioned, crossing his arms, leaving the cloth wrapped object protruding out a bit.

"Mmm..." Kelly hummed to herself, as she turned her eyes upwards, trying to think of something. "Nope." She answered, shaking her head. "Nothing I can think of Commander, you haven't received any new messages."

"Has the Illusive Man made any sort of contact?" Shepard asked, dropping his arms down to his side, hoping that the Illusive Man would have had some sort of lead on Harbinger's whereabouts or plans by now.

"No, Commander." She informed him, causing him to clench his teeth, and nod his head disappointedly.

"Alright, that'll be all." He replied. "Thank you, Kelly."

"Of course, Commander." She replied with a shining smile, nodding at him before turning back to her work station, as Shepard entered the Tech lab.

Shepard walked in, finding Mordin completely immersed in his work. He held his omni-tool up with one hand, exhibiting a screen that displayed a multitude of readings. With his other hand, he was using what appeared to be some sort of laser soldering device.

Shepard slowly walked up to him, watching him delve into the intricacies of various mechanical parts on the table before him.

"Shepard." Mordin acknowledged his presence, however not looking up from his work. "How can I help?"

"Have you got a minute to talk?" Shepard asked, gazing at Mordin's work table, trying to study what he was doing.

"Perhaps later." Mordin answered back, abruptly. "Nearing completion on equipment you requested. Just need to recalibrate inverse anti-mass field flux."

"That's actually what I came to talk to you about." The Commander replied, holding up his hand gripping the cloth wrapped item, and waving it. "I was hoping you could make one more, minor modification."

"Hmm..." Mordin began with a grin, looking up from his work as Shepard revealed what he was holding. "Yes. Believe I can make the necessary adjustments. Should have ready by this time tomorrow."

"I figured you could." Shepard replied, nodding with a wide grin.

* * *

The hours dragged by, as the Normandy drifted through the vast vacuum of space. There was an almost eerie tranquility on board, as her various crew members did what they could to pass the time. Some stayed at their stations, taking readings, or working on calibrations. Others, however, took less productive approaches to pass the time. The ship's automation made it simple for the crew to stop and have a nap or just shoot the breeze with one another.

"Hahahaha..." There was a mutual laughter as Jacob, Garrus, and Grunt sat around in the ship's armory, conversing.

"So then, the volus is staggering around saying 'fear me, for I am a biotic god' or some such nonsense." Garrus continued with his story, breaking out into laughter as Grunt and Jacob joined him.

"He's going on and on, shouting about how he's going to tear the mercenaries in the next room apart." Garrus resumed. "So Shepard tells him to go take a nap or something, you know sleep it off."

"Right." Jacob responds, sitting with his chair backwards, leaning on the backing as he listened to Garrus, chuckling under his breath.

"So as he's staggering about, flailing his arms around, Shepard barely taps him on the back, and he tumbles forward." Garrus began again, accompanying his story with a variety of hand gestures. "When he gets back up, he wobbles around a bit, going 'where am I?' 'I'm tired...' before finally staggering away. Some biotic god he turned out to be."

Jacob and Garrus laughed at his story, as Grunt sat with a bit of a scowl on his face, as he huffed.

"Puhh..." Grunt eventually spoke out. "Enough banter. Stories of pathetic volus are of no interest to me. I wish to hear tales of great wars and battles!" He exclaimed, holding his hand out in front of him, and clenching it into a fist. "Tales of blood, and victory. Like the one of the Thresher Maw Shepard and I slew on Tuchanka!"

"Ugh..." "Oh god..." Jacob and Garrus both uttered out in disdain. "Not the Thresher-Maw story again Grunt..." Garrus pleaded, chuckling as he shook his head.

Grunt groaned angrily. "Fine, then tell a better story." He demanded.

"Well..." Garrus leaned back in his seat, as he thought of an appealing tale for the pouting krogan. "Did I ever tell you about my days on Omega?" Garrus inquired as Grunt shook his head.

"They used to call me... Archangel"

* * *

"Hey, Dr. Chakwas!" Joker called out, as he sat at the table in the mess hall, a deck of cards in his hands. Dr. Chakwas was walking back toward the med-bay, holding a bottle and a whine glass in her hands.

"You wanna join our game of Skyllian-5? We need a fifth player." Joker asked, waving her over.

He sat around the table along with the two Engineers; Kenneth Donnelly, Gabriella Daniels. And with Mess Sergeant Gardner, who had prepared a rather elegant combination of Hors D'oeuvres, snacks, and a beer keg.

"Heh... No thank you boys." Dr. Chakwas replied with a grin. "I'm just looking forward to a quiet evening with my classical collection, and a glass of Serrice Ice Brandy to keep me company." She remarked, lifting the glass up a bit, and waving it. "You boys have fun."

"Damn..." Joker uttered, letting the deck of cards drop down on the table, forcing them to scatter a bit. "Won't be a game if we can't get a fifth."

"Hey, Kenneth..." Daniels ushered in, turning to her long-time friend. "Why don't you go downstairs and see if Jack wants to join us, huh...?"

"Chyeah..." Donnelly chortled at the thought of it, with a thick Scottish accent. "You must be outta your bloomin' mind Gabby... If I catch that woman on a bad day, she's as likely to break me in half, as she is to kick me in the daddy bags."

"Hmm..." Joker hummed to himself, as he thought about who to ask to their game. Just then a familiar Asari turned a corner, walking into the mess hall.

"Hey Samara!" Joker yelled out, getting her attention, causing her to walk over to the table. "Interested in joining our game of Skyllian-5? We really need a fifth player."

"I am sorry." Samara responded, bowing her head respectfully. "But gambling is strictly prohibited by the Justicar's code."

"Oh come on Samara." Donnelly beckoned, pulling out the seat next to him for her. "What's the harm in a friendly game? We won't tell, if you won't."

"Yeah." Joker concurred, as Samara looked down at the empty seat. "Besides, I thought you suspended your vow while you were on this mission?"

"Well..." Samara began, as she stepped forward, reluctantly sitting down. "I suppose one game couldn't hurt."

* * *

There was a dim lighting, illuminating the shadowy room. The sound of the ship's drive core could be heard over head, humming softly. A woman, covered with tattoos sat on the edge of a small cot, slouched forward, letting her hands hang down between her legs, with a thin bottle clutched in one of them.

Suddenly, the silhouette of a man appeared, as he walked down into the bowels of the ship, coming into the light from the shadows.

"What do you want, black lagoon?" Jack questioned disdainfully. As Thane walked in.

"Merely to share a drink with a friend." The drell answered, politely.

"And just what gave you the idea that we were friends?" Jack questioned, giving him a look that would intimidate most.

"We are both bound in our words, to Shepard. To see this mission through until its final conclusion." Thane began to explain. "We are all willed to shed blood together, and die together if the goddess so decides. Surely those of such a pact would not falter to call one another friend."

Jack shook her head at what she perceived to be nonsensical ramblings, raising her bottle and taking a drink.

"May I sit?" Thane asked, humbly.

"What is it you want, huh?" She asked, looking up at him, clearly annoyed. "You lookin' to get into my pants or something, calamari?"

"I assure you, that is not my intent." Thane asserted, calmly.

"Then what? What do you want?" Jack questioned angrily, waving her hand at him, shrugging him off.

Thane turned, and carefully picked up a few discarded data pads, on a vacant seat, placing them on the nearby table, and sitting down.

"You seek conflict, where none should be." The drell began, as Jack rolled her eyes. "In my meditations, I pondered the vow I made. To atone for the evils I have done. To try and leave the galaxy better than I had found it."

"Yeah, and?" Jack demanded, aggravated. "You got a point?"

"That is when you came to mind..." Thane commented, causing Jack to look at him, with a somewhat softened gaze, curious to what he meant. "Both of us have taken many lives, and looked deep into the eyes of our victims before they fell. Looking into yours I can see how you have been seared by brutality and betrayal."

Jack looked away, trying hard to keep a stern look on her face. Trying and failing as the memories of her tormented childhood came rushing back.

"Why are you telling me this?" Jack asked, a despondent expression now on her face. "I put all that behind me. Shepard and I destroyed the lab where they did all that shit to me. I don't need you coming in here, and bringing it back."

"Because as someone who can relive their worst memories, in the most vivid of detail, I know the torment that being alone with ones own thoughts can wreak." Thane said mildly. "I simply figured to let you know, that you didn't have to."

Jack let out a long sigh, as she bowed her head back down. Despite the amount of time she had been on-board the ship, Shepard was the only one that ever sought her out. The only one she ever really felt she could call "friend." She hadn't even really met anyone else on board, other than occasional mission briefing, and she always thought she was fine with it.

"I've focused on my meditations, I've prayed for strength from the goddess..." Thane continued. "But there are times, that the only way to get away from your bad memories, is to live new ones... And that can start by simply sharing a drink with a friend."

Jack looked down at the bottle of Batarian Ale clutched in her hand. Then she looked over to the foot of her cot, spotting the case of it. She reached over, pulling a second bottle out of the case, looking up at Thane and tossing the bottle toward him.

He smiled as he twisted the top off. "To finding peace." He toasted, as he held up the bottle, before taking a drink.

"Whatever..." She uttered, still trying to keep her stern look about her, but feeling something now alleviated from her chest. "Still doesn't mean we're friends." She said as they both chuckled lightly, sharing a drink in the dim lit room.

* * *

"The year was 2165, and the Asari invasion had just begun! That's when this hot new group made the scene, and dominated the airwaves, with this hit single. At number eight in our countdown, it's 'You've Melded Your Way to my Heart' by the Ardat-Yakshi Connection!"

"Ooh, I love this song!" Tali exclaimed, as the radio on the nightstand beside her played, sniffling as she talked.

Shepard smiled, looking up at her briefly, as he sat on the couch in his quarters, polishing his armor. There wasn't much else to do on such a long trip, after all. Only a day had gone by, but it was already starting to feel more like three.

He held his chest piece in his hands, taking special care to buff the N7 insignia to a high sheen. He could hear her sniffling under her helmet, as she laid comfortably on the bed.

She laid face up, with her hands crossed over her stomach, as one of her fingers danced in the air to the rhythm of the music. The song wasn't particularly to his liking, but he didn't mind it.

"You alright?" He asked, mildly concerned as he laid the chest piece down on the small table in front of him, picking up one of his shoulder pads, in turn.

"Yeah..." She replied, continuing to sniffle. "Just a bit of congestion, that's all."

"Yeah, but that's how it usually starts." He replied, beginning to work on the shoulder guard in his hands. "You should go down and see Dr. Chakwas, maybe she can give you something?"

"John, don't worry. I'm already swimming in antibiotics." She affirmed, this time with a bit of a cough. "I doubt there's anything more she could give me."

"I know I just..." Shepard stopped polishing his shoulder pad, letting it hang down from his hand, as he bowed his head, shaking it. "I just wish I didn't have to make you go through this, every time."

Tali sat up, and walked over to Shepard, coming to sit by his side. She wrapped her arms around him, leaning on his shoulder, as he continued to polish his armor once more.

"I'm a Qurian, being sick isn't anything new to me." She told him, as she leaned close, trying to ease his mind. "And besides... as usual, it was totally worth it."

"Heh..." Shepard chuckled, continuing to polish his shoulder guards. "Well, can't argue there."

Keeping one of her hands draped over his shoulder, she reached out, and picked up one of his shin guards on the table, examining it.

"You know..." She began, as she toyed with the shin guard. "You've worn gray armor, ever since I've known you. Maybe you should try a new look. I think you'd look good in blue... or maybe even purple." She giggled a bit as she leaned back on him, returning the shin guard to the table.

"Nah..." He said with a smile, shaking his head, still working over his shoulder pad. "Purple's always been your color. Although, I have considered pink." He said sarcastically, as they both laughed, bringing their heads together.

"Shepard." He heard a voice call out to him, as his omni-tool lit up on his hands. He recognized it as being the voice of the ship's Salarian scientist.

"I'm here Mordin." He said, bringing his omni-tool closer to his face.

"It's just about finished. Putting finishing touches on now." Mordin's voice informed Shepard, with his usual rapid string of words.

"Thank you, Mordin." Shepard replied into his omni-tool. "I'll be down in a moment."

He lowered his hand, causing his omni-tool to vanish, as he placed the shoulder guard in his hand back down on the table. Tali sat up, pulling herself away from him.

"Alright." He began. "I'm gonna head down there. You try and get some rest okay? That's an order." He said jokingly as he stood up.

"Party pooper..." She uttered with a sniffle, standing up with him.

"Yeah, yeah..." He said sarcastically, pulling her close and kissing the tip of her faceplate. Before he turned to walk out of the room. "Remember, rest!"

* * *

"Hehehehe..." There was a mutual laughter in the room as Gordon sat at the desk in his quarters, his chair turned facing Miranda, who was sitting on a seat against the opposite wall.

"Well I mean, I never could have imagined all that's happened to me." Gordon continued, still laughing, as the two conversed. "I've always been a rather boring individual. Kept to myself, never really talked much to anyone... ever really." Gordon shook his head, as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't think you're boring at all, Dr. Freeman." Miranda replied, smiling at him. "Quite the opposite in fact."

"My college thesis, and you may want to grab a snack for this," Gordon said, jokingly, causing Miranda to laugh again. "Was Observation of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement on Supraquantum Structures... you still with me?" Gordon asked Miranda, stopping himself mid-sentence, unable to keep himself from chuckling.

"Uhm..." Was the only response Miranda could give, still laughing under her breath.

"By Induction Through Nonlinear Transuranic Crystal of Extremely Long Wavelength Pulse from Mode-Locked Source Array..." Gordon finished, shaking his head and taking a breath.

"Wow..." Miranda stuttered for a moment, cheerfully – completely thrown for a loop at the complexity of Gordon's entitled thesis.

"I rest my case." He said, leaning back in his seat, the two continuing to laugh and converse.

The door slid open, as Shepard walked in, finding the two. He was holding the same long objected, wrapped in a white cloth, as before.

"Miranda." Shepard began. "I didn't expect to find you here."

"Oh, I was just... trying to get to know Dr. Freeman a little better." She turned to face Freeman, smiling at him.

"Yeah, I was just telling her about life before all the chaos..." He said, with a snicker, as he stood up to properly greet the Commander. "But at any rate, what can I do for you Commander?"

"I was wondering if you could come with me, Dr. Freeman." Shepard requested. "There's something I need to show you."

"Oh, is it ready?" Miranda interjected excitedly. "I'm coming as well, I want to see this."

"What is it?" Gordon asked, looking back and forth between the two of them, wondering what they were talking about.

"You'll see." Shepard affirmed with a grin, as the three of them walked out of the room.

The door to the tech lab slid open, as the three walked in. "Right this way, Dr. Freeman." Shepard said, leading them in.

Dr. Mordin Solus was still busy at work, this time on something propped up in some sort of tall, cylindrical structure against his wall.

"Is it ready Mordin?" Shepard asked, as he walked in.

"Just... one... more... adjustment." Mordin replied, clearly being careful of his work. Gordon looked on, confounded. He could see something orange behind the salarian's figure, but he couldn't make it out.

"There! Finished!" Mordin stepped aside, revealing the fruits of his labor, and causing Gordon's eyes and mouth to open wide in amazement.

"Is... Is that what I think it is?" Gordon asked, nearly ecstatic as Shepard came to stand beside him, placing a friendly arm around him.

"Sure is, Dr. Freeman." Shepard responded, pleased with Gordon's reaction. "Say hello to your new combat armor. The HEV Mark VI"

Gordon stepped forward, examining it, immersed in total awe. It still had the makings of his original HEV armor, beneath all the new major modifications. The most outstanding new feature, were without a doubt the two new shoulder guards sheltering the top of the suit. It had some sort of small control interface on its chest, and the rib area seemed to have been reinforced. The leggings were braced, with what seemed to be some sort of fortified plating on either side.

Gordon eyed the armor, from top to bottom, completely awestruck. Just then, he noticed the familiar lambda symbol, still exhibited on the breastplate, as he lightly touched it. The symbol that had become synonymous with the struggle for liberation, against the Combine.

"You were still wearing it, when we found you." Shepard's voice informed him, as Mordin, Miranda, and the Commander stood behind Gordon, gazing upon his new apparel. "So Mordin here, took it on himself to modernize it a bit."

"Oh!" Gordon said, as he turned around rapidly – remembering the salarian he saw when he first entered the room. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Dr. Gordon Freeman – I can't tell you how much this means to me." Gordon assured the salarian, as he extended his hand.

"Dr. Mordin Solus." The salarian responded, reciprocating a handshake. "Thanks not necessary. Was a pleasure to do."

"I noticed the new plating, I'm guessing you no longer used the same Tungsten steel alloy?" Gordon queried, crossing his arms.

"Palladium alloy, supplemented with titanium-steel weave." Mordin explained. "Replaced electrically hardened armor, with kinetic barrier micro-system."

"Do you mean like a repulsive mass effect micro-field generator?" Gordon asked, clearly intrigued.

"Yes, precisely!" Mordin responded cheerfully. "Mass acceleration calculated at 94.2% for photonic resonance influx, of thermal rounds."

"Amazing..." Gordon replied, as the two scientists conversed completely in their element. "And I'm assuming you used a capacitor-well to offset the fluctuations of kinetic energy on the transference spectrum?"

Miranda and Shepard looked on as the two scientists spoke to each other in their own native tongues. Both of them struggling to simply make heads or tails of what they were speaking about.

"Uh..." Shepard spoke up, clearly still in a state of disarray from listening to the two, and causing them to stop and look over at him. "Mordin, I'm... sorry to interrupt, but why don't you go ahead and tell him some of the new features you've installed." He said, shaking his head, with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Shepard. Of course." Mordin agreed, nodding and turning back to Gordon as the two walked toward his suit.

"Most of the suits primary functions still remain." Mordin began, as the two looked on his suit. "Geiger counter, heads-up munitions display, vital-sign monitor, morphine, and anti-venom injectors, the basics."

"Right..." Gordon replied, listening intently.

"But have also made several major modifications." the Salarian continued. "As I said, replaced hardened electro-plating with kinetic barrier micro-system, added weapons dock to the rear of the suit, added built-in auxiliary omni-tool, and installed a compartment for medi-gel injector."

"Well, I just have to say..." Gordon replied, still looking at the modernized version of his HEV suit. "This is absolutely remarkable. Thank you, all of you..."

"Wait." Mordin interjected, walking over to another of his work tables, pulling something out from underneath. "I also made a few minor modifications to this."

"The gravity gun!" Gordon said in an outburst, as he recognized his old weapon. "Was this on me, when you found me as well?" He asked, as Mordin handed it to Freeman.

It was far lighter than the original model, encased by the same alloy plating as his newfound armor, though roughly the same size, as the previous version. He noticed a variety of new gauges and dials on the rear of it, set for adjusting a variety of things such as gravitational force, object mass offset, and field generator distance, among other things.

"Replaced the Element Zero core, with one of refined Element Zero." Mordin explained, as Gordon got a feel for it in his hands, smirking the whole time. "Gave the generated mass effect field much higher degree of control."

"I can see that." Gordon said as he nodded, still examining the gravity gun.

"It takes the place of a heavy weapon, on the weapons dock of your suit." Mordin informed Gordon, as he put the field manipulator back down on the table, walking back over toward the suit. "I also managed to add a special compartment to house your crowbar."

"My crowbar?" Gordon asked, confused. "What crowbar?"

"This crowbar, Dr. Freeman." Shepard asserted, handing Gordon the wrapped object he had almost forgotten he was carrying.

Taking it, Gordon quickly unwrapped it, revealing his old friend from Black Mesa. It was fairly tarnished, exhibiting ages of crusted on dirt. All except for one small gap, of nearly flawless gleam, showing the signs of where his statue once gripped it.

"Ho... How did you get this?" Gordon asked, not looking up from his hands, cradling the familiar piece of steel.

"Pulled a few strings." Shepard replied, with a slick smirk, crossing his arms. "But you really have Miranda to thank, it was her idea."

"Bit of an archaic weapon for my taste, but to each his own." Mordin stated, doing a quick check of the suit once more, making sure everything was in working order.

Gordon stood, shaking his head, in disbelief. "I... I can't thank you enough. All of you. You've all gone to such great lengths to make me feel welcome. How can I ever repay you?"

"You're part of this crew, Dr. Freeman." Shepard affirmed, walking up to Gordon and putting his hand on his shoulder. "We look out for each other."

Gordon gripped the end of the crowbar tightly, in one hand, tapping the other end in his open palm, repeatedly.

Shepard watched the now cold, calculating man before him. A jade fire burning in his eyes, he had not seen since he first awoke. And an unfamiliar, almost diabolic grin on his face.

"Commander..." Gordon began, looking down at the old steel friend, in his hands. "When you first brought me on board, you told me you were fighting a war that started nearly two centuries ago, on Earth."

Shepard nodded in agreement, as Gordon tapped the crowbar in his hand one last time, before gripping it tightly with both, and looking back up at The Commander.

"Then I think it's about time we finish what was started..."


	20. Chapter 20: One Big Mother

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 20: One Big Mother  
**

"Hey, Freeman!" Jacob exclaimed, acknowledging the orange armor clad figure walking into the armory, as he strolled over to greet him. "Jacob Taylor, ship's Armory Officer. Good to finally meet ya." He claimed, as the two shook hands.

The upgraded version of his HEV suit took some getting used to, as he moved around a bit awkwardly. However, in contrast to the previous two models, this one was significantly lighter, and a lot more maneuverable. The main thing that was troubling him, was the presence of the two new shoulder guards. Every time he'd turn his head, he'd find them bumping his chin, in either direction. But for the sake of the comfort and utility the Mark VI offered, it was more than an acceptable tradeoff.

"Good to meet you as well, Jacob." Gordon agreed, as they released their grip. "The Commander said you'd be able to outfit me with some weapons?" He stated, questioningly.

"Ah." Jacob grinned, and nodded casually. "You're speakin' my language Freeman, right this way." He motioned to Gordon, causing him to follow Jacob to a nearby table; showcasing enough firearms to equip a small army.

"I maintain, and stockpile the weapons for the Normandy's crew." Jacob declared, putting his hand out, showing off the arsenal. "If it's handheld and goes boom, it's my department." He said with a sly grin, as Gordon looked over the array of modern pistols, shotguns, and rifles.

"Let's start you off with a good sidearm." Taylor suggested, moving over to the section on the long table with an array of pistols on it. "Always important to have something good to fall back on."

"I suggest the M-6 Carniflex, my personal favorite." He stated, picking up one of the pistols, and holding it up for Gordon. "Armor piercing rounds, highly effective against barriers, and a whole lot of stopping power." He declared, handing the pistol to Gordon.

"Only drawbacks are the high recoil, and low ammo capacity, but still worth it if you ask me." He affirmed, as Gordon examined the heavy pistol in his hands, holding it and looking down its sight.

"Got anything a little more accurate?" Gordon asked, as he lowered the weapon, looking over the rest of the laid out pistols.

"Hmm..." Jacob uttered with a grin. "If it's accuracy you want, then I suggest this little number." He said, picking up a second pistol. It was smaller than the first one, possessing a much more sleek, almost aerodynamic design.

"The M-5 Phalanx. Engineered for high recoil reduction. Capable of burning through shields and barriers." He informed Gordon, once again handing the pistol to him for inspection. "Only drawback to this one is, it's not very effective against armored targets."

"Hmm..." Gordon uttered to himself as he held the pistol away from him, looking down the sight, with one eye closed. "I like it." He affirmed, looking over at Jacob, lowering down the pistol, and cracking a smile.

"Good choice, good choice." Jacob assured, while nodding. "Not my first pick, but a good one nonetheless."

"Now over here, you got your choice of shotguns..." He said as they moved over to a different section of the table. Carefully, he picked one out of the bunch, holding it up like a proud father showing off his newborn child. "And this bad boy, is the M-22 Eviscerator... or as I like to call it; 'The Hope Ender'."

* * *

Commander Shepard stood on the Command Deck, overlooking the galaxy map as the Normandy rapidly approached its destination at speeds, faster than light. He stood fully clad once again in his signature N7 armor, a small arsenal of weapons mounted on his back.

Concern was starting to weigh on his mind. What were the Reapers up to this time? What diabolical ends could Harbinger have planned? Why had there been no word, no report, no sighting of anything out of the ordinary, since the attack on the Aurora? Even in the vast vacuum of space, something as massive and as powerful as a Reaper couldn't remain incognito for long. The thoughts ran rampant through his head, as he leaned, dejected, on the rail over the galaxy map. Perhaps this venture they had embarked on, would hold some answers.

He didn't hear the ship's elevator door, slide open behind him, as he remained immersed in contemplation.

"Alright, I'm ready." Shepard turned, as he heard Tali say in a nasally voice, followed by a short series of coughs.

"Tali!" He exclaimed worriedly, surprised to see her on the deck. Despite being fully armed, and ready – she looked utterly fatigued, dragging her feet as she approached him. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be getting some rest." He asserted, as he quickly rushed to her side, worried she could potentially stumble in her weakened state.

"I'm fine..." She assured in her nasally voice, coughing while she said it. "It's just a bit of congestion and a small fev... fev... fev..." She reeled her head back, further and further. "Achoo!" She sneezed loudly, into her face mask.

"Oh, bosh'tet..." She groaned, shaking her head at her now mucus covered faceplate interior.

"Tali..." Shepard uttered, shaking his head, concerned about her health. "Don't worry, I've already got a shore team. Dr. Freeman is getting equipped as we speak, and I've put Grunt on standby." He assured, embracing her.

"But YOU need to get some rest..." He affirmed, as she looked up at him, with a regretful nod, before bowing her head.

"Commander." Joker's voice came in over the ship's intercom, grabbing his attention, and causing him to turn his eyes upward. "I'm about to take us out of FTL speed, you might want to come up to the bridge."

"Kelly." Shepard turned to his nearby Yeoman, busy at work.

"Yes, Commander." She responded, looking up and standing at attention.

"Do me a favor, and escort Tali up to the captain's quarters, would you?" He asked.

"John, I'm fine..." Tali urged him, attempting to quell his concerns. "You know I go through this every time. It's normal."

"I know... I'd just feel better if she went with you, okay?" The Commander asked, pleadingly. Tali nodded lightly, in agreeance as the three made their way to the nearby elevator.

"Don't worry, Commander. I'll look after her while you're gone." Yeoman Chambers assured, as the elevator's metallic door slid closed.

"How we doin, Joker?" Shepard asked as he approached the bridge, placing his hands on his hips as he looked out of the Normandy's forward windows.

"I'm about to take us out of FTL speed." Joker replied, working his controls. "We should be within landing range of... wherever we're going within minutes."

"Good." Shepard replied, still looking out at the streaks of light, blazing by the windows. "I'm eager to learn just what is out here."

"Yeah..." Joker began, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Just as long as these coordinates don't lead us right into a star... or a black hole for that matter."

"Approaching Destination." EDI's voice chimed in, as her blue, holographic manifestation flashed on the bridge. "Disengaging FTL drive."

The Normandy trembled for a moment at the sudden shift in velocity. The bright streaks of light outside of the window slowly dissipated, as the stars became visible once more. The Commander stepped up close, gazing out of the windows, at the vast reaches of oblivion.

Just then, he saw something. Something far off in the distance. He could make out what seemed to be, almost a clustering of debris.

"What's that over there?" Shepard questioned, pointing out the window, at what he saw.

"Don't know, but it seems to be the only real mass out here." Joker responded, as his fingers worked away on the controls. "I'll take us in closer."

As the Normandy moved in further, they could make out what appeared to be a small, planet-like mass, completely surrounded by an orbiting debris field of asteroids, some massive in size. The entire mass, which was roughly the size of Earth's moon, seemed to radiate with an eerie green light.

"Why is it glowing like that?"Shepard questioned, the small planet radiating in the window as Joker moved in closer.

"My readings indicate that the surface of the dwarf planet, along with the terrestrial debris surrounding it, is composed primarily of Element Zero." EDI began to explain. "The energy released, is what gives it its green glow. However, I do not detect dangerous levels of radiation. The Element Zero seems some how contained, almost as if having been refined."

"Hmm..." Shepard uttered, as the Normandy came to a stop, hovering just outside of the dwarf planet's atmosphere.

"My readings also indicate a breathable, non-toxic atmosphere." EDI continued. "Likely created, over centuries, by the released zero-point energy. The accumulated energy, worked in forming a barrier around the planet, and created a reverse greenhouse effect."

"It's Xen... The Border World." A familiar voice uttered, from behind the Commander, as Gordon accompanied them on the bridge, looking out at the familiar rock.

He had a small, sleek pistol now strapped to his hip. And a small arsenal of weapons, similar to the one that Shepard carried, now on his back. His gravity gun was nestled firmly between his newfound sniper rifle, and assault rifle. While his fabled crowbar's tip protruded just slightly over the gravity gun, from behind it.

"How can you be sure?" Shepard questioned, dubiously. "Is this what you saw in your vision?"

"No..." Gordon replied, shaking his head as he turned away from the windows, to face The Commander. "I've been here before... I recognize it..."

Shepard nodded in acknowledgment, briefly turning back to look out the window, before looking back to Gordon.

"Well, I see you're locked and loaded. " He began, as he lightly hit his hand against Gordon's shoulder pad. "What do ya say, we go and take a closer look."

Gordon nodded back at him, with a determined look on his face, as the two turned and started to make their way off of the bridge.

"Joker." Shepard called out, as they walked away. "Prep the hangar bay for depressurization."

"Aye, aye. Commander!" Joker exclaimed, respectfully, before swiveling around in his chair, back to his control panel.

The Normandy's large hangar bay doors slid open, as the small Kodiak Shuttle made its way out of the Normandy, en route to land on the small, cryptic planet before them. It maneuvered, avoiding any possible collision with the large chunks of terrestrial debris, orbiting the planet.

The shuttle lightly touched down, on a long flat stretch of surface, and the hum from its engines began to power down. The shuttle's large door, swung open, and The Commander was the first one to emerge from its interior, with his pistol drawn, primed and ready for whatever situation may come.

He was clad, head to toe in his standard gray armor, the red stripe down his right shoulder, the only outstanding feature, on this dismal planet. He wore his open faced helmet, although he almost wished he hadn't, as a strong sent of what seemed to be sulfur, lingered in the air, along with a plethora of other aroma's he couldn't quite put his finger on, nor would he care to.

Freeman and Grunt were close to follow, stepping off of the shuttle, their weapons drawn as well. Both of them were favoring their respective shotguns, as they stepped out and took a long look around. Gordon's orange armor, now overpowering the Commander's red stripe as the most outstanding feature on this dreary world.

"Be careful..." Gordon uttered, as the three walked away from their transport, beginning to search the planet for any signs of life. "This place looks just like I remember it, and that's not a good thing."

"This place looks completely deserted..." Grunt uttered, as they slowly began to fan out, staying close enough however to still hear one another. "What lowly form of creature, could possibly live here."

"The Vortigaunts..." Gordon replied, as they looked all around, at the rocky terrain of the planet. "I don't see any, it may have been a call for help."

The land was a labyrinth of geography, formed by canyons, chasms, ravines, caves, and cliffs. Gordon was tempted to call out to the Vortigaunts, but he didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. He thought it best not to announce their presence just yet.

There was a chill in the air, an eerie silence that seemed to linger, as the three explored this mysterious planet. The ground shimmered, with a faint glow, given off from the small particles of element zero speckling the terrain.

Suddenly, there was a loud screech, that tore through the silence. Instinctively, the three primed their weapons in the direction the sound came from, only to find some sort of large, bird-like creature fly by over head.

"What was that?" Shepard asked, hesitant to lower his pistol.

"Just some of the indigenous life, it would seem..." Gordon responded, as an uneasy feeling came over him. "Exactly what, I don't know. But it didn't seem to want to bother us."

"What is this thing?" Grunt's voice inquired, as Shepard and Freeman looked over at him. He had managed to find one of the various, odd forms of plant life. It was some sort of stalk, with a glowing bud at the end, that emitted a brilliant light, similar to that of a firefly or anglerfish.

As the Krogan reached out to touch it, it quickly retracted its bud, into a state of protective submission, pulling the majority of its stalk down into the ground.

"Hehehehe..." Shepard chuckled a bit, watching the stalk play keep-away with the Krogan. "Doesn't seem to like you, Grunt." He said, as Grunt huffed, annoyed.

Just then, the three brandished their weapons once more, as they heard what sounded like something small scurrying toward them. They looked around, seeing nothing. But the sound was still prominent, this time accompanied by some sort of raspy screeching and hissing.

"Hah, look at this." Grunt's voice ushered in again, as he bent over to pick something up. It was a small brownish creature, about the size of a tarantula. It had been clawing at the shin of Grunt's armor, unsuccessfully. They weren't able to see it, because its brownish, infantile body blended in so well with the terrain.

Grunt picked up, the belligerent little creature, holding it between two fingers as it struggled violently. The hairs on the back of Gordon's neck stood up, as he remembered the last time he encountered these little creatures. Baby headcrabs, and where there were babies... the mother couldn't be too far behind.

"Whatever you do..." Gordon started to say, reaching his hand toward the Krogan, with a deep sense of urgency.

Before he could finish, there was a crunching sound as Grunt crushed the infant headcrab in his hand, like someone crushing a fortune cookie.

"Don't... do what you just did..." He finished his sentence with a sigh, letting his hand drop down, in defeat.

All of a sudden, there was a loud moaning that echoed through the chasms around them, as the ground began to tremble. The tree primed their weapons, looking around for the source of noise. Just then, there came a loud pounding noise. Something galloping closer to them, as the pounding grew louder and louder.

There was a pool of some strange, shimmering water nearby. The vibrations, clearly visible in the water, as increasingly large ripples formed in it. Gordon closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and swallowing down a large gulp.

"Brace yourselves..." He uttered, holding up his weapon. Just then, a huge, gargantuan creature emerged from a cave in the rock walls, they had not noticed. It stood on four behemoth legs, that came to a sharp, claw-like tip. A huge egg sac hung, suspended from the main portion of its body, and some sort of protective exoskeleton covered the top of its body. Its slimy, mucus covered skin shimmered, as its young crawled in, out, and around the dangling egg sac.

"That is one big mother..." Shepard said, in shock, looking on at the tremendous creature before them.

Out of nowhere, it seemed like the floor itself had begin to crawl, and close in around them, accompanied by the scurrying and screeching sounds from before. The floor was alive with hundreds, perhaps thousands of tiny headcrabs closing in around them. For the most part, the infantile creatures' attempts were futile, clawing and scratching at their heavily armored bodies.

"Ahh!" Shepard grunted in surprise, as one of the tiny creatures had managed to lunge out, at his face, grazing his cheek. He started discharging at the crawling floor, trying to shoot anything that moved, which at this point seemed to be everything. Seeing the Commander, Grunt didn't hesitate to follow his example, causing the ground to erupt into pools of yellow blood, as the two discharged and stomped on the tiny headcrabs.

Suddenly, the huge creature groaned, almost as if in pain, causing its infants to come rushing back to it. Grunt took this break, to reload a thermal clip into his Shotgun's chamber. The Commander sheathed his pistol, pulling out a shotgun of his own, realizing something a bit bigger would probably behoove him best.

"This is not good..." Gordon uttered, gripping the stock of his shotgun tightly.

The creature moaned out, once more, and made a mad dash for the three – charging them furiously. Seeing this, simultaneously the three began to discharge their weapons in a fusillade of gunfire.

"Aim for the egg sac!" Gordon yelled out, as the three cautiously positioned themselves, the creature charging ever closer to them, their weapons seemingly, having no effect.

"Battlemaster, look out!" Grunt shouted. The beast had decided to single out the Commander, and made a b-line directly for him.

Shepard lowered his shotgun a bit, but continued to fire – carefully gauging the creatures momentum. At the last possible second, he dove out of the way, running underneath the creatures towering legs. Just then, it raised one of its spear like legs, and brought it down hard, attempting to impale the fleeing Commander. It raised it once more, bringing down again with force, creating small craters wherever it slammed it down.

Gordon moved in on its opposite side, trying to draw its attention, and laying down some distracting fire, for Shepard to get some distance. Grunt moved in, a huge grin on his face, at the spoils of the battle they had found. He unloaded round, after round, into the beast, not phasing it in the slightest.

The beast then turned its attention to Gordon, swinging one of its gargantuan legs around, aimed directly at the Doctor. Seeing it coming, Gordon dropped down to the floor, face down, covering the back of his head with his hands. He felt a swift breeze, and heard a flutter as its leg swept above him, missing its target.

Before Gordon could make it to his feet however, the creature attempted to deliver an impaling shot to the prone Dr. Freeman. Raising high its stalactite leg, and bringing it down with authority.

Gordon rolled out of the way, as the massive spike came crashing down, onto the floor. It moaned in anger, or annoyance, or any combination of the two, as it raised its massive leg once more, to try again.

Gordon tried to roll over once more, but the bulk of the weapons on his back stunted his momentum completely. It seemed he would not be able to roll himself out of the way, fast enough this time.

Gordon tried to shield his face with his arms, as the beast prepared to bring its leg down once more. Shepard unexpectedly moved in, firing a battery of rounds, into the creatures underbelly, stunning and confusing it, momentarily.

"Come on!" Shepard yelled, as he grabbed Gordon's forearm – pulling him out from his vulnerable position.

"Thanks!" Gordon declared, panting as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Don't mention it." The Commander replied, as the two walked backwards, trying to create some distance between them and the behemoth, firing all the while.

Unexpectedly, the beast bowed its head, down toward them, and spouted a large globule of some sort of strange yellowish substance, from an opening on the roof of it's head, like a while spouting water from a blow hole.

"Look out!" Gordon shouted at Grunt, who was the target of the attack. The substance came down, landing on Grunt's shotgun, which held out in front of him, coating it in the thick, viscous slime.

"Watch out, that stuff's corrosive." Gordon shouted again. Grunt looked down at the shotgun, still in his hands as the acidic slime began to eat through his weapon, melting it like plastic over a hot flame. In shock, Grunt dropped the shotgun, on the floor, as it dematerialized into a puddle of goo.

The Krogan snorted angrily, looking down at the puddle of his former weapon. "That was my favorite shotgun..." He groaned to himself.

He looked up, at the huge beast before him, glaring at it with rage burning in his reptilian eyes, as he pounded his fists together.

"I AM KROGAN!" He shouted out, in a fury, and charged, enraged directly at the beast.

The creature moaned in anger, lifting up one of its massive spear like legs once more, ready to impale the charging Krogan. Before it could bring it down however, Grunt plowed into its other front leg, still on the ground. Sweeping it out from under it, causing it to stumble forward with a tremendous crash.

"Crude..." Gordon uttered, awestruck as the beast wailed, on the floor before them, flailing around like a fish out of water.

"But effective." Shepard followed up, unloading into the downed beast, once more. Slowly, she began to stir, placing its legs out in front of it, pulling itself back up. Seeing this, Grunt backed away – a bit shocked at the lack of effect his charge had on it.

"We're just not doing, enough damage!" Shepard asserted, continuing to unload barrage after barrage of shotgun thermal rounds into the resilient behemoth.

"It's covered in some sort of... viscous mucus coating." Gordon responded, putting his shotgun back into it's place behind his back, and pulling his sniper rifle off of his weapon dock. "Use your sniper rifle, more penetration!" He relayed.

Shepard turned to Gordon and nodded, as he too put away his shotgun, and pulled out the sniper rifle. Not using the scope, he took aim – firing a rapid string of shots, aimed for the creatures egg sac.

The colossal mother continued to approach them, once again spouting its corrosive yellow substance from its top, and releasing its young to attack once more. The acidic slime was easy enough to avoid, and the infant creatures were little more than an annoyance, clawing and lunging at their protective heavy armory.

However, despite having switched to their sniper rifles, their attacks still seemed completely ineffective.

"This is getting us no where!" Shepard shouted, as the three were being systematically pushed back, keeping their attention on the colossus, not realizing they were being back into a dead end canyon.

Gordon spotted a large boulder out of the left corner of his eye, which gave him an idea. Continuing to walk backwards, he sheathed his weapon once more, this time to pull out his gravity gun.

Unexpectedly, he felt himself back into the wall. He placed his palms against it, to confirm his fears. He turned around, to find himself face to face with a massive stone wall, closing them into a geographic stone cul-de-sac. Gordon looked over, to find that Shepard and Grunt had both come to the same realization.

"Shit..." Shepard uttered, out loud. Realizing that they had gotten stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. The creature had managed to corral them into a canyon, with it blocking the only way out.

With the Commander at the center of its attention, it raised its massive leg up once more, intent of impaling him against the rock wall.

With really no where to go, Shepard backed up against the wall. Taking a deep breath as his eyes grew wide at the enormous creature about to run him through.

Suddenly, a massive boulder plowed against the side of the beast, staggering it, and causing it to miss impaling the Commander by inches.

The momentary distraction was enough to give Grunt and Shepard the opening they needed to run around her, and make their way towards Gordon, and hopefully back out the way they came.

"Thanks!" Shepard said to Freeman, as the three ran, trying to navigate their way back out. "I owe you one."

"I'd say we're about even!" Gordon replied, searching the terrain for any more large boulders he could use for ammunition. Blunt force being the only thing that seemed to have any effect on the gargantuan creature.

As the path out of the canyon became visible, a huge spike like leg came crashing down before them, blocking their exit.

"Besides... doesn't look like we're out of this yet!" Gordon uttered, as Grunt and Shepard began to back away, into the canyon once more, firing another battery of rounds into the creature, fruitlessly.

Gordon looked around frantically, hoping to find another boulder large enough to do a significant amount of damage, but small enough that his gravity gun could handle it. The only one he spotted was the one he had already used, roughly the size of a small car. However, now behind the assaulting creature.

Suddenly, there came another strange alien noise, that caught Gordon's attention. It was one he was sure he had heard before. It sounded like some sort of a strange howling, as if to call out to someone, or something.

The three strafed the wall, back into the interior of the canyon, ducking and dodging, as it pounded at them with its massive legs.

Gordon's eyes grew wide for a moment, as he spotted an opening. 'Try to draw its attacks." Gordon told Shepard, as he bolted forward, running underneath the creature, through its legs.

He ran around the egg sac, clearing its hind legs, as the three prongs on his gravity gun opened up, ready to pull at the massive boulder before him.

Feeling Gordon's vibrations as he ran beneath her, she kicked up one of her hind legs, like an enormous bucking bronco, and slammed it hard into Gordon's back. Sending him flying against the nearby canyon wall, head first.

"Freeman!" Shepard yelled out, seeing the Doctor get tossed against the wall like a rag doll.

"Ugghh..." Gordon groaned in pain, as he trembled, trying to stagger to his feet, on the brink of unconsciousness. The gravity gun had gotten knocked from his hands, and he stood up in a daze. He could hear the creature bellow, accompanied by the sound of gun fire, as he looked around.

He had forgotten where he was for a moment, but he could hear someone shouting his name in the distance. He shook his head, trying to get his bearings back. Just then, the haze became clear. His vision came back into focus, and he looked up to see something careening towards him.

At a moments notice, he dove out of the way, as a globule of acid rained down on the spot where he had been standing. It sizzled as it splashed against the floor.

He spotted Shepard and Grunt on the opposite side of the wall, doing their best to lay down a steady onslaught of gun fire, while at the same time doing their best to avoid her attacks. Gordon remembered what he had to do, and searched frantically for his gravity gun.

She pounded furiously, bringing down left, after right, after left leg slamming down over and over, but not striking her mark.

"I grow tired of this, Battlemaster!" Grunt exclaimed, as the two tumbled out of the way, avoiding yet another impalement attempt. "Can we just kill this thing, and be done with it!"

"If you've got any suggestions, Grunt..." Shepard answered, with disdain, as he turned his rifle on the colossal mother, once more. "I'd love to hear em..."

Suddenly, from high above the canyon wall, a green bolt of lightning came streaking out, striking their assaulter, causing the beast to wail out in agony. Then, a second one came. And then a third. The strikes seemed to be accompanied by some sort of faint tribal chanting.

Gordon smiled as he looked up, watching the streaks of electricity, knowing exactly what they were.

"Of course!" He thought to himself, as he watch her reel backwards, being pushed, painfully out of the canyon from above. "Energy weapons!"

He remembered, how his first encounter with one of these things went. He recalled how futile his traditional weapons were against it. Its hardened exoskeleton, and viscous mucus coating preventing penetration of even his best rounds of ammunition. However when he eventually switched to his experimental Tau Cannon, the raw energy discharge forced it back into a cave where he eventually managed to kill it.

The green streaks of light continued from above, and the beast continued to moan and groan in pain, as reeled backwards out of the canyon. Until, finally it completely retreated, limping off into a nearby cave, battered, burned, and defeated.

Shepard and Grunt walked over to Gordon, still holding their rifles primed, panting heavily as they looked up at the canyon walls, unsure if whatever saved them would be worst than the behemoth.

"Are you alright, Dr. Freeman?" Shepard questioned, lowering his rifle for a moment, as he hunched over trying to catch his breath.

"No worse for wear." He replied, wiping his brow with the back of his gloved hand, and finally spotting his sought after gravity gun on the floor, in the distance.

"Is it gone?" Grunt asked, his rifle aimed down the canyon entrance.

"Seems like it." Shepard answered. "But I'm not taking any chances. Lets get out of this death trap."

Gordon walked over toward the gravity gun, picked it up off the floor, and mounted it onto his back. He turned back toward Grunt and The Commander who were heading out of the canyon, the way they had come in, and joined them.

Finally, the three emerged outside of the mouth of the wide chasm they had been forced into, finding open land again. Immediately, they brandished their weapons once more, upon exiting, finding themselves completely surrounded by another alien race.

"Gallam gala nila ruam." "Riit luan gorram nagennen." "Chur galin chur alla gung." The creatures, seemed peaceful enough, bowing their heads as a probable sign of peace, but their language was completely foreign to the three.

"I'm sorry..." Shepard began, as he put his rifle away, in a sign of good faith. "We... don't understand your language."

"Ah, the Free Man!" A English speaking voice, chimed in. Suddenly, the vortigaunts cleared a small path, allowing passage of one of their own. He was unique however, clearly discernible from the rest.

He wore metallic green shackles on his ankles and wrists, and a metallic green belt around his waist. This worried Gordon a bit, as he had seen these same bindings on the enslaved vortigaunts in Black Mesa, but the vort before them didn't seem the least bit hostile.

"Charrum garr luhan galum alguun." The shackled vortigaunt turned to face his kin, raising his hands up and communicating with them in their own native language.

"The Free Man has returned!" "This is the Free Man!" "The Free Man has brought allies!" "At long last, reckoning is at hand." The sea of vortigaunt, formerly speaking in some strange foreign tongue, suddenly resounded with fluent English.

"The Free Man, and his allies must forgive us." The shackled vortigaunt turned back, to face them, and began. "We are so accustom to flux shifting, and never imagined ever having to use human idiom."

"I'm Commander Shepard." The Commander stepped forward, formally introducing himself. "This is Urdnot Grunt, and you seem to know Dr. Gordon Freeman."

"Greetings to the Commander Shepard, and to the Urdnot Grunt." The Vortigaunt began, bowing his head and clasping his hands together respectfully. "Allies of the Free Man are in turn, allies to us and to the Vortessence."

"How is it, exactly, that your people can speak English?" The Commander questioned.

"Since the last of our kin, faded away on the Earth." The shackled vortigaunt began. "We have taught our young, the language of humans, should this day ever come. To our jubilation, it has, at long last. And with it – the reckoning of ages."

"What do you mean 'reckoning of ages.'?" Gordon questioned, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"All will be explained in time." The shackled vortigaunt assured them. "For now, come! We have prepared a great feast in hopes of the Free Man's arrival."

"Yes, come Free Man!" "A feast!" "The Free Man and his kin must follow!" The sea of vortigaunts erupted once more, cheerfully encouraging them to join them for their feast.

"What do you say, Dr. Freeman?" Shepard turned to Gordon, and asked dubiously. "Can we trust them?"

"I owe more than my own life to the Vortigaunts." Gordon replied, with resolve, as he turned to face the Commander. "Yes, we can trust them."

Shepard nodded, trusting Gordon's word. "Then I better radio the Normandy. Let 'em know what we found, and that we're gonna be a while."

"If the Free Man has more kin and allies" The Vortigaunt began, as Shepard brought his hand to the side of his helmet, preparing to open up a radio channel. "By all means, all are welcome. The feast we have prepared in the Free Man's honor is more than fit to feed all who would join him."

"Well..." Gordon, stuttered a bit to answer, as he turned to face Shepard. "That's up to the Commander, I suppose."

"Are you sure?" Shepard turned to the gracious vortigaunt, asking with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"It is as The Commander Shepard, and his kin would have it." The shackled vortigaunt answered. "But, our feast is plentiful, and all are welcome."

The Commander touched his hand to the side of his helmet, as he opened up a comm link to the Normandy. "Shepard to Normandy. Do you copy?"

"I copy Commander." Joker's voice responded, into his helmet's receiver. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah..." Shepard replied, looking at the inviting faces of the vast number of vortigaunts before them. "Find a good spot to land, Joker. And let the crew know they're all invited to dinner..."


	21. Chapter 21: The Vortigaunts

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 21: The Vortigaunts**

"Yes. The Gonarch is quite formidable. she seeks only to protect her young, however." The shackled vortigaunt explained to Shepard and Gordon, as they walked at the head of the pack, followed closely by a large portion of Shepard's crew, although, most of his crewmen stayed behind, to monitor the Normandy.

Grunt followed behind the Commander and Freeman, conversing with Garrus excitedly about the battle they'd just had with the native behemoth. Miranda and Jacob followed closely behind them, mostly just looking around, in awe. Likely contemplating the value of a planet so rich in element zero. Mordin was buried in his work on his omni-tool, likely taking scans of anything and everything he could find, from the walls, to the strange glowing pools of water, to the vortigaunts themselves. Jack and Thane walked together, talking among themselves, a strange new rapport between them. And Samara followed along, at the rear, immersed in deep conversation with one of the vortigaunts.

They walked through a geographic corridor, a ravine formed by steep stone walls on either side. The walls shimmered, reflecting the incandescent glow of the sky above, giving off a peaceful luminance.

"Pity we could not kill it, isn't it Battlemaster?" Grunt ushered in, from behind the Commander, with a snort in his voice. "Its carcass would have made a fine trophy."

"I don't know about you Grunt..." Shepard responded, not actually turning around to look back at him, as the group continued to walk forward toward an opening in the ravine. "But I'm just happy that thing didn't make US it's trophy... or even worse – its dinner."

"Excuse me..." Gordon spoke out, his attention turned to the vortigaunt in bindings, leading them. "I hope you won't think it rude of me, but I've been meaning to ask you... Why do you wear those restraints? I saw those same bindings on the enslaved vortigaunts in Black Mesa."

"Ah... The Free Man is perceptive to all things!" The aforementioned vortigaunt began, as the group continued to walk. "For eons had we endured these chafing bonds, until you severed the cords that bound the Nihilanth to life and to us... So many cycles had passed, and we could no longer recall our lives before our freedom had been ripped away from us."

"Cycles?" Gordon responded, questioningly. "I'm assuming you mean the orbital period of Xen to fully rotate around your sun...?"

"The reputation of the Free Man is well deserved, for he is adept at all things!" The vortigaunt replied, as the group continued forward, through the unusually long passage. "To ensure that we would never forget the lives of servitude and destruction cast down upon us, these shackles were given to my forebears, as they led our kin to rekindle that which we had once lost. As cycles past, we reclaimed our lives thanks to the Free Man, and eventually the encumbrance of my forebears fell upon me. And so now I wear them, as a reminder of our lives in the darkness..."

"I see..." Gordon began, coming to an understanding. "So, essentially, you're their leader. And it was passed down to you over the generations. Fascinating, I'd love to learn more about your society. Is it just you, or is their some sort of gover..."

A sudden grip of speechlessness overtook Gordon, as they finally came to a clearing in the passage. He was joined in his astonishment by Shepard and the rest of his crew, as they gazed at what they saw before them.

They emerged into a massive clearing, to be greeted by what appeared to be a large village, spanning far into the horizon. There were small hut like dwelling, built out of what seemed to be some sort of clay or adobe. There were also dwellings carved out of the massive canyon walls surrounding the vast village. There was a sort of aqueduct canal system, channeling water on a track overhead, as well as running along the ground, weaving in and out around the various structures. In the distance, could be heard some sort of rhythmic chanting, or singing. Throughout the village, the vortigaunts existed peacefully, partaking in their day to day tasks.

Before them, a lone vortigaunt walked into his home. Over his back, he hung a bundle of dead headcrabs tied together. Like a hunter returning home with a bundle of dead rabbits for dinner.

Further down, there was a small congregation of vorts, huddled around a single one. His skin seemed paler than the others. It was lacked the shimmer given by the smooth skin of the others. He looked weary and aged. To any who would see him, he appeared to be telling some sort of riveting tale, in their own native language – perhaps of his days of youth. And the other, younger vortigaunts stood around him – paying absolute attention and giving the utmost respect.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gordon beheld a familiar foe; An Antlion Guard. But this one had straps attached to it, tied off to some sort of tilling object, as a busy vortigaunt followed behind, guiding the beast as they cultivated the soil.

"Incredible..." Gordon uttered under his breath. "You've actually domesticated Antlion Guards..."

"Your village is amazing." The Commander began, directing his comments toward their shackled host. "And we are humbled by your hospitality, thank you."

"Chyeah..." Jacob snicked to Miranda, under his breath. "Real humbled... Maybe if these guys could figure out the concept of clothing..." He said, as he laughed under his breath.

"Jacob..." Miranda reprimanded him under her breath, careful not to allow the Commander to hear them, however unable to hold back a slight snicker herself.

Shepard rolled his eyes a bit, hearing the childish snickers and giggles coming from behind him, as he continued. "Is there maybe something we can call you? A name perhaps?"

"Ah, The Commander Shepard is gracious to ask." The vortigaunt replied. "We have no need for such titles. For we are all sib, unified through the vortessence. However – my place among my brethren has come to be known as Alra Guallam Bauk Go'rel."

The Commander was silent for a moment, a bit overwhelmed by the lengthy, foreign name given to him. "Uh..." He uttered, as he began once more. "Bit of a mouthful... would it be alright if we called you Alra?"

"Alra..." The vortigaunt closed his eyes, bowing his head and clasping his hands together in a show of respect. "The Commander Shepard, and his kin, would honor me with such a designation."

"But come... The Shepard and his kin must follow." Alra motioned for them to continue forth, as they began to walk through the village. "The feast awaits."

"This is the Free Man!" One of the vorts exclaimed, as they passed by. "The rectification of ages has come."

Many of the vorts stopped, clasping their hands and bowing their heads as Gordon, Shepard, and his crew walked by. Showing a deep amount of respect and admiration. A truly warm welcome, worthy of conquering heroes, returning to a victorious kingdom.

"Please, forgive my asking..."Gordon began, turning to their shackled host, as they walked. "Your village is truly amazing, but why not build machines and more advanced tools to do all this for you?" He questioned, looking around at the agricultural society. "I know first hand how incredibly intelligent your people are. I've seen them personally assist some of the greatest minds Earth had ever seen. With everything ranging from quantum entanglement to temporal displacement."

"The Free Man is wise to ask." Alra replied, leading them to a long, table-like stone carving in the center of their village. "It is one of the reason we have called you to us, Free Man. Yes, we do have the capability to create the advancements the Free Man speaks of. However, our meager lives are fulfilled simply by a free existence. For our lives are worthless, unless spent on Freedom. I believe our finest poet describes it thus; Gallam Galla Gilla ma!"

"I understand..." Shepard said, turning to Gordon as their group reached the table. "They're like the Amish. Even today, with how far technology has come, they simply prefer not to use it. They want a more simplistic lifestyle."

"Right..." Gordon concurred, a bit of confusion in his voice. "But what did you mean by that being the reason you called us here?"

"There is much to discuss..." Alra responded, as they made their way around the massive stone table. There were multiple vortigaunts, already standing beside it, waiting. Each held a different ceramic looking pot in their hands. Many of which had steam spilling out of the top. "But for now, we invite The Free Man and his kin to rest their spirits, and fill their stomachs!"

Nearby were several fire pits, dug into the ground, as well as stone carved furnaces, resembling kiva ovens, with various vortigaunt concoctions brewing, simmering, roasting, boiling, and baking within them. Over one of the bonfires, a dead headcrab slowly roasted, as one of the vortigaunts rotated it on the flame, turning it from a pale yellow to a golden brown. Inside some of the ovens, were some sort of strange green creatures, with red tentacles protruding from their heads.

"Hell, I could eat!" Jacob exclaimed, as he maneuvered his way toward the table, finding a spot on one of the long stone benches on either side. "Don't know what that stuff is, but some of it smells damn good!"

"Yeah, I suppose it does..." Garrus agreed, hesitantly, as he found a seat to situate himself opposite of Jacob. "Guess this wasn't a TOTAL wild goose chase..."

Following their example, the entire crew slowly dispersed around the table. Finding a spot to sit down. Gordon and Shepard sat opposite each other, at one end of the table. While Garrus and Jacob sat opposite each other, on the other end.

"I just hope this slop tastes better than what Gardner serves..." Jack stated, jokingly as she found a spot next to Thane, who had sat himself down next to Jacob.

"By the way..." Miranda's voice came in, as she came up to Gordon, and sat down beside him. "I've been meaning to say, nice suit. Mordin did a good job."

"Oh..." Gordon replied, looking down at himself, with his hands spread out a bit. "Yeah, he did a tremendous job. Little bulkier than what I'm used to though. I think I look a little silly in it."

"Actually..." She responded with a sly grin, as she looked over Gordon from top to bottom. "I think you look rather dashing."

"Oh, uh..." Gordon stuttered a bit, with a light chuckle under his breath. "Thank you." He responded as she smiled at him.

Shepard's crew continued to find places for themselves along the table, as the vortigaunts began to place the steaming containers on the table. Samara found a seat next to Garrus, and Mordin found a seat between hers, and Miranda's

Grunt had trouble working his way onto the bench, which was obviously designed for beings of a much smaller girth. He awkwardly positioned himself, finally managing to get himself onto his seat, between Shepard and Jack.

"Shepard to Normandy..." The Commander opened up a comm link to his ship, as the Vortigaunts started placing various pots and dishes of vortigaunt cuisine on the table, in front of their guests.

"I read you, Commander." Joker's voice acknowledged over Shepard's radio, as an empty dish was placed before him.

"Just checking in." Shepard replied, as he looked up and nodded at his vortigaunt server, thankfully. "How's Tali doing?"

"She's good, Commander." Joker responded. "Kelly's been keeping an eye on her, and I think Dr. Chakwas gave her another antibiotic shot. She says she's feeling a lot better."

"Thank you, Joker." Shepard replied, a small sigh of relief evident in his speech. "That'll be all. Shepard out."

"Roger that, Commander." Joker said, as he reclined back in his seat, with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Now to get back to work..." He uttered to himself, with a sly grin, as his diagnostic monitor suddenly began to display an Extranet video link of questionable content. The ship's bridge was suddenly filled with the sounds of pleasurable moaning, sighing, and heavy breathing, as Joker watched intently. "Mmm... mmm... mmm..."

"Jeff..." EDI's holographic projection began, a tinge of disdain in her voice. "You know your Extranet video streams are a gross violation of the Normandy's protocol regulations."

"Yeah..." Joker acknowledged, never once looking at her, completely mesmerized by the women on his screen. "I know..."

"I fail to comprehend the infatuation various species have with the anatomy of the opposite sex." EDI declared, in disapproval, as her hologram flashed from her terminal on the bridge. "Or often, the same sex, for that matter."

"What?" Joker asked, looking over at her for a moment. "You've never heard of gettin' busy?"

"If you are referring to mating, Mr. Moreau." EDI replied. "My databases contain a wide array of known mating rituals of various species throughout Citadel space. What I fail to comprehend, is your species' attraction to facsimile, when said mating is not possible. Such as the infatuation with a mere Extranet projection."

"Yeah... yeah... oh yeah... wait, what?" Joker responded, furrowing his brow at EDI, snapping himself back into reality for a moment.

"... never mind." EDI replied, frustratedly.

Joker shrugged his shoulders, and turned his attention back the video screen, as the moans and sighs continued. The grin on his face returned, and slowly crept from ear to ear.

"You know EDI..." Joker began once again, turning to face her. "I've seen a lot of VI's – and most of them actually have the form of a human or something. You're just a... floating ball on a cone. I don't even know what you are."

"My holographic user interface was designed and installed by Cerberus technicians." EDI asserted. "I was optimized for efficiency, not amusement, Mr. Moreau."

"Alright, alright... I was just sayin'" Joker replied, shrugging his shoulder. "Might make you a little easier on the eyes, if you know what I mean."

"I will pretend I did not hear that, Mr. Moreau."

* * *

"Oh my..." Samara commented, pleasantly surprised as she savored a bit of what appeared to be some sort of large worm, or eel on a dish before her. "This... This is rather exquisite..." She proclaimed. "It is reminiscent of Serkmeht Alei; an Asari delicassy."

"Yeah, no kidding!" Jacob replied, biting into a piece of headcrab. "Mmm. You know what this stuff tastes like?"

"Let me guess..." Garrus remarked, across from him – as he put his spoon into some sort of viscous stew. "Tastes like chicken?"

"No, turkey actually." Jacob replied, with a chuckle, slicing into the headcrab once again.

"Ugh..." Jack groaned from her seat, lifting a tentacle off her plate, and examining it on her fork. "How the hell can you guys eat this crap? It looks like someone already puked it up..."

"You may wish to try it, before you judge." Thane urged from his seat next to her, as he sipped a spoonful of a strange green soup. "You may find you actually like it. These, vortigaunts as they are called, seem to know how to prepare a most favorable meal."

Jack rolled her eyes, and shook her head as she put the tentacle back onto the plate, and pushed it away.

"Take for instance this soup." Thane continued. "I have absolutely no idea of its contents, however it is remarkably delightful, and distinctive. I've never tasted anything quite like it. Besides, we do not wish to insult our hosts."

"Fine, whatever..." Jack responded, with an annoyed sigh. She reached for her plate once again, picking up one of the tentacles, from some unknown creature, cutting into it and reluctantly putting a piece into her mouth. "Mmm..." She uttered very quietly, under her breath, as her eyes widened a bit. "Eh... not bad I guess."

"Yes..." Mordin interjected, picking a strange, red, insect-like creature up off his plate, and dipping it into a small container of pale green sauce, like someone dipping cocktail shrimp. "Must agree with Thane. Quite delectable. Surprised at culinary prowess of such a seemingly simple race."

"I have to say, this is rather good." Shepard remarked to Alra, who was standing at the head of their table, pleased to see all of the Commander's crew enjoying their meals. "What exactly is this?"

"Ah... The Commander Shepard and his kin honor us, greatly." Arla bowed his head, and clasped his hands together joyously. "What the Commander Shepard speaks of, we know as; Bugl'ek llarag. I believe the humans once called it... bullsquid."

"That's bullsquid?" Gordon asked, mildly shocked.

"Well... It certainly SOUNDS delicious, doesn't it?" Miranda remarked, sarcastically, as she laughed.

"You should try some, Miranda. It's not bad." The Commander suggested, with a smile, as he sliced into yet another piece.

"Wh-what is this that I'm having?" Gordon asked, pointing down at his plate. "These strange slices of meat?"

"The Free Man is enjoying Qal'go Suerg." Arla replied, happily. "One of our most favored concoctions. I believe humans called it, bar nackle."

"Barnacles?" Gordon uttered, with a mouthful. Looking up, after taking a bite; completely surprised at how well those vile creatures actually tasted. "This is one of those barnacle creatures? Huh... Never would've guessed they'd taste this good."

"I shoulda brought Gardner along." Shepard said, as he chuckled. "He could've picked up a few new, exotic recipes."

"Speaking of which, Commander." Gordon began, looking across the table at him, after savoring another bite. "What of the Xenian life forms on Earth? I know the vorts, sadly, died out due to the effects of the Combine suppression field. But what about headcrabs, or antlions, or the like? I didn't see any on our sojourn to Earth."

"Well, they're still around." Shepard affirmed, looking up from his plate, as members of his crew began their second helpings and Grunt began his third. "They've just kinda become, wild? I guess would be the term. When humanity began to rebuild, they were forced out of civilized areas. So they roam out in the wilderness, and deserts."

"So they've actually adapted into the ecosystems on Earth?" Gordon questioned, astounded.

"Once in a while, you'll hear reports over the Extranet of some unfortunate soul caught by a headcrab, and zombified." Miranda added. "Something there still is no cure for, unfortunately. But things like that are about as common as someone being killed by a shark or being mauled by a bear."

"I see..." Gordon responded, looking over at her and nodding. "Interesting."

"Antlions are actually a very popular zoo attraction." Shepard continued, after swallowing another gulp. "They're wild animals, and after nearly two centuries; we've all just simply accepted learning to live with each other, I suppose."

"Mmm..." The Commander continued, indulging in his meal. "But now that I know how good this stuff tastes, I may have to organize a hunt once all this is over." He commented jokingly as Miranda and Gordon accompanied him in laughter.

"We are overjoyed that The Free Man and his allies, are pleased with that which we have provided." Alra announced, bowing his head respectfully at his guests. "We were uncertain if The Free Man had heard our pleas."

"Yes I did. Painfully, I'm afraid." Gordon assured, putting the tip of his hand to the side of his temple. "How is it exactly, that you were able to contact me, anyway?"

"The Free Man must forgive us." Alra began, a sincere sense of shame now present in his tone. "The Free Man's mark had become faint, obscured by the void. We required added focus in order to summon the Free Man. This in turn, is what caused the Free Man's distress."

"Mark?" Gordon asked, completely bewildered. "What mark? I don't understand."

"The Free Man has been marked with the Vortessence." Alra began to explain, speaking with wisdom and sagacity. "That which gives life, the weaving of the vortal cords. We are a tapestry woven of it, it is the same for you, Free Man. For we are you, and you are us."

"The vortessence?" Shepard turned to Gordon, and asked confounded.

"I think it's some sort of force the Vortigaunts believe in." Gordon replied, attempting to make sense of everything. "It's what they believe binds the universe together. I think it's also how they're able to communicate with one another telepathically. Apparently even across vast reaches of space."

"You say I've been marked." Gordon said, turning his attention back to Alra. "How exactly? How did I come to be marked by the vortessence?"

"We do not know, Free Man." Alra responded, shaking his head back and forth. "We only know that our kin, had long since thought the Free Man lost. But then... a sharp spur of hope. The Free Man's essence we felt once more."

"They sensed me, when I was brought out of stasis." Gordon commented, not looking at anyone in particular. His eyes staring downward blankly, as his mind worked. "Wait a minute..." He uttered to himself as he looked back up at Alra. "How would one become marked with the vortessence?"

"The Free Man would have to have shared his life force, with one of our kin." Alra answered. "How this came to be, I cannot say."

"Alyx..." He uttered to himself. "Back on Earth... A dear friend of mine had... Had become mortally wounded. One of your people sent me to retrieve a larval extract from an Antlion's den."

"Ah... The extract." Alra pronounced, and was accompanied in doing so in faint whispers from the other vortigaunts around the table. "Truly, our most precious liniment. Housed deep within the nest, in the sacred nectarium."

"Right." Gordon agreed, nodding his head. "Well after we retrieved it. The other vortigaunts asked me to join with them, they said a human was needed."

"Yes..." Alra began. "We spoke tale of the Alyx Vance, and of the Free Man's noble journey, to return her from the margins. Weaving his life essence with hers. Truly, this is how the mark of the vortessence came to be bound upon the Free Man."

"So that's it then." Gordon said, as he came to understand. A sense of dejection coming over him, as he shook his head trying to shrug it off.

"Are you alright, Dr. Freeman?" Miranda asked, placing a hand over his shoulder pad, from her seat beside him.

"I'm fine." Gordon assured her, taking a deep breath and returning to the moment. "Bad memories, that's all. But, thank you for your concern." He stated, looking over at her, and smiling warmly. He patted her hand, still placed over his shoulder, with his – causing a slight, pleasant chill to run over him.

"Alra...The graciousness and hospitality of you and your people are greatly appreciated. " The Commander spoke up once more, as he stood up, finishing with his meal, leaving an empty dish before him. "We are all humbled by the kindness and giving nature you have shown us. I ask that you please not take this as a sign of disrespect. But I am afraid I must insist now, that you please inform us why you have chosen to summon Dr. Freeman here."

Most of Shepard's crew had finished with their meals; reclining back in their seats, and commenting how delicious, and surprisingly satisfying the food was. Meals comprised of everything from antlions, snarks, and headcrabs, to barnacles, bullsquids, and things yet to be named by human kind.

"And so do we owe The Commander Shepard, and his kinship explication." Alra bowed his head humbly, closing his eyes as he clasped his hands together. "If the Commander Shepard, the Free Man, and their kin would follow."

Shepard's crew looked around at each other a bit, before standing up from the table. "Whoa!" Jacob cried out, as he stood up too fast, having to grip the edge of the table to keep himself from bouncing a few feet into the air. "I forgot how low the gravity was on this place." Garrus looked over at him, snickering under his breath and shaking his head. Slowly, the group turned and began to follow the vortigaunt leader deeper into the village.

They slowly approached a large door, in the towering canyon wall surrounding the vortigaunt village. It was made of some sort of strange metal, etched with odd carvings into it. There was a crystal of some kind, protruding out of the wall, beside the door. Alra lifted his hand, and a small white bolt of electricity shot out from his hand, and made contact with the crystal. Upon doing so, the door hummed softly, as it activated, and began to rise.

"My word..." Gordon uttered in pure amazement as the door opened, revealing what appeared to be a massive control center of some sort.

There was a multitude of what looked to be control terminals, made out of the same type of metallic substance used to make the door. They too were carved with strange alien writings. Upon them, where one might find buttons, nobs, dials, and switches – were a variety of crystalline protrusions. Many of which blinking to indicate various readings. Instead of monitors or computer screens, many of the terminals were equipped with large orbs that displayed read-outs in odd symbols that one could assume was the vortigaunt's native language.

Inside a small group of vortigaunts seemed to be monitoring the equipment. Paying the utmost attention to the readings and displays. On the terminal nearest to the control room's entrance, where Shepard and his crew stood observing, one vortigaunt began to manipulate the controls. Never once did he push down onto any of the small crystals in the terminals, like pushing a button. But rather, small streams of electrical discharge seemed to flow from his hands, making contact with the crystals.

"Fascinating!" Mordin suddenly exclaimed, as he pushed his way through the group toward the front. "Generations of prolonged exposure to element zero, must have given tremendous biotic power! Adapted technological advancements around said biotic power. Electrical current user interfacing. ECUI for short!" He explained, in a rapid string of words as the crew continued looking on, too busy trying to figure out what the controls did, to listen to Mordin's ramblings.

"What exactly is this place?" Gordon questioned, as he stepped forward into the cavernous room, followed by the rest of the crew. Continuing to gaze all around at the immensely high tech alien control center.

"This, Free Man, is the culmination of our free existence, bestowed to us by you." Alra started to explain. "For when you severed the vortal cord binding the Nihilanth to us, we vowed to never again bear the bindings of the beasts. For our lives are worthless, unless spent on freedom."

"The beasts?" Gordon asked, turning to Alra. "You mean there are more creatures, like that one you speak of? The Nihilanth as you call it?"

"The Nihilanth was merely the lesser master." Alra continued, bowing his head and shaking it remorsefully. "Though, he controlled our chaffing bonds for eons, he was but a pawn of the beasts, as we were pawns of his."

"Oh, you mean the Combine." Gordon affirmed, confident he had figured out who Alra was referring to.

"Alas, the Combine too, were but those who's fates were as ours, doomed to the lives of dark servitude." Alra answered, causing a look of confusion to come over Gordon's face.

"Excuse me, Dr. Freeman." The Commander ushered in, stepping forth to stand beside Gordon and before Alra, putting his hand out in front of him to materialize his omni-tool.

"When you say beasts..." Shepard spoke, as he manipulated his omni-tool. "Is this what you're referring to?"

"Gaaulm!" Alra snarled angrily, as he looked on at a small, three dimensional holographic projection that appeared out of Shepard's omni-tool. A black metallic, body – in the form of some diabolical insect. Yellow glowing eyes, burning with the semblance of a demon. It was the projection of a common Reaper.

"Yes..." Alra said, as he did his best to calm himself. "It is as our ancient scriptures dictate. In ages long past, our forebears thrived peacefully, subsisting on the gifts of our the land. Then, from oblivion the beasts appeared. Our forebears defended themselves gallantly. A wave a darkness clashed against our vortal strikes – but they failed, and we lost all dear to us. We were placed under the charge of the vile Nihilanth, and so we remained for eons. To the day that fate intertwined the Free Man's destiny with our own, and struck the blow that liberated us."

"Well..." Gordon began, a warm sense of pride coming over him as The Commander put his omni-tool away. "I'm thankful I was able to help you."

"More than the Free Man could ever know." Alra continued. "And it is our solemn hope, to now assist the Free Man, and his kin, with this." He turned, throwing his hands out before him, motioning at the control room. "We have labored upon this, since reclaiming our freedom. Only thirteen cycles ago, did our work, at long last, come to fruition."

"Based on this planets rotation period..." Mordin interjected, punching figures into his omni-tool and making calculations in his mind. "Means they finished whatever this strange device is, approximately only four point thirty-eight years ago."

"What is it, exactly?" The Commander asked, shrugging his shoulders in confusion, as Mordin continued to take readings.

"Regrettably, we do not posses the words to suffice The Commander Shepard." Alra replied, shaking his head. "It is our reckoning... Our lance against those who once stole our very lives from us. But, for it to function – the beasts must make themselves present in our throes, once again. For they exist in a place that light or the vortessence cannot reach."

"You mean this is a weapon?" Shepard asked eagerly, a slight grin coming over his face. "A weapon against the Reapers?"

"Amazing!" Mordin shouted out, exuberantly. "The vortigaunts have seemingly developed a quantum disruptor tuned to Reaper harmonic resonance."

"What?" Gordon questioned immediately, narrowing his gaze as he rushed over to look on at Mordin's readings. "How can you be certain it's the right harmonic frequency, for a Reaper?"

"Energy signatures match that of Reaper structural readout acquired after assault on Collector Base." Mordin acknowledged. "The quantum state of resonance generated by this machine, complete negate that of Reaper resonance."

"So when activated..." Gordon interjected, almost as if the two were thinking with the same mind. "The quantum reversal should completely disrupt any Reaper's energy signature, and cause complete sub-molecular collapse. But it would take an incredible amount of generated energy to produce a strong enough oscillation."

"Hey, so uh..." Shepard stuttered, looking at his two scientist as they held their own private symposium. "What? Is it basically a giant gun? A giant nuke? What?"

"Oh, my apologies, Commander." Gordon excused himself, turning to face Shepard. "No... In essence, it's more of a giant E.M.P. Although, much more complex than that."

"Go on..." Shepard insisted, crossing his arms, clearly intrigued.

"See, every object in matter has a set resonance..." Gordon continued, attempting to explain the purpose of the control room they stood in, as the vortigaunts continued to work around them. "You, me, the rocks on the floor, everything. When the sub-atomic particles of two objects are entangled, and are tuned to one an others harmonic resonances – changing the quantum state of one of the objects, will always have the reverse effect on its entangled counter-parts, regardless of the distance between them."

"Yes..." Mordin interjected, adding to Gordon's explanation. "Works on same principle of quantum entanglement as the communicator on the Normandy. When activated, the quantum fluctuation will effectively disrupt the Reapers energy signatures, and cause a molecular implosion. Rendering said Reapers, well... deceased."

"Is it dangerous to us?" Shepard questioned, a newfound excitement in his voice. "Can't we just turn it on now? You said it would work regardless of distance right?"

"Afraid not." Mordin replied, shaking his head. "Though not harmful to us, as it is only tuned to the harmonic resonance of the Reapers, activating it now would most likely be ineffective. Majority of Reaper fleet believed to reside in dark space. Whether or not dark space is in fact an alternate dimension, or different plane of existence all together is unknown. Also, the energy output required for disruption is quite substantial, and would likely only suffice for a singular use."

Shepard sighed, looking down as he shook his head, and placed his hands on his hips. "So in other words, we'd have to wait until the entire Reaper fleet came through, out of dark space, and even then we only got one shot... if it works."

"Precisely." Mordin affirmed.

"How did you build this?" Gordon turned back to Alra and beckoned, astounded by the brilliant scientific engineering behind such a machine.

"Once the lesser master lay defeated, we knew the greater must also fall in time." Alra responded, cheerfully, after awaiting patiently. "And so we vowed to seek a means by which to eviscerate them from our meager existence. Collaborating with our kin on your Earth, learning from the wisdom of The Magnusson, we devised such a means."

"So... the vortigaunts here, and the ones back on Earth communicated with each other in order to create this?" Gordon asked, as he slowly walked even further into the large control center, being careful however not to disturb the other working vortigaunts. "And you've been building it for nearly two centuries?"

"Yes." Alra continued. "It has taken several cycles and many generations, but at long last our purpose shall culminate, and the beasts' reckoning will come. And when we sensed The Free Man had returned, we knew it was a clear omen of the hour of retribution drawing neigh."

"I have to say, that this is no less than miraculous." Gordon complimented Alra, and his people's life's work, standing awe-struck in the presence of what would no doubt be their saving grace. "But, how will you be able to generate the massive amount energy necessary?"

"There is no need for concern, Free Man." Alra reassured Gordon, cheerfully. "For deep within the ground upon which we stand, is the heart of our contrivance. Our world's greatest gift to us, a massive heart of pure vortessent energy."

"You mean the core?" Gordon asked, fairly certain what the vortigaunts cryptic phrasing was referring to.

"According to my readings." Mordin chimed in, continuing to work tenaciously on his omni-tool. "The core must be made up of an enormous sample of pure element zero, rivaling the Normandy itself in mass. Supplemented by no less than four field dampeners for containment."

"Remarkable..." Gordon commented, exhaling a deep breath as he said it. "I never imagined they could build something like this."

"So this is it right? This is what we've been looking for, the answer!" Jacob shouted out excitedly. "If the Reapers ever come through, we just switch this puppy on and bam! Mission accomplished."

"No." Shepard replied, sternly pointing a finger at Jacob. "This is NOT the answer. This is the contingency."

"But... Commander, I thought..."

"You heard the vortigaunt leader." Shepard interrupted Jacob, addressing his entire crew. "For this device to work, the Reapers have to come through from dark space. We all know what the Reapers are capable of. If that ever happens it may already be too late. Besides, we don't even know for sure, if it'll work. We owe the vortigaunts a great debt of gratitude, for what they've done here. For us, and for the entire galaxy. But our mission continues. We must NEVER allow the Reapers to come through, and it is my solemn hope that we will never need to use this."

"Understood, Commander." Jacob replied. Saluting respectfully before he backed up to join the rest of Shepard's squad once more.

"All of you go ahead and start heading back to the ship." The Commander ordered, addressing most of his squad, with the exception of one. "We'll be departing here shortly. Have Joker prep the Normandy for take-off."

"Aye-Aye, Commander." Miranda responded, speaking on behalf of the group as they all turned, nearly in unison and walked out of the vortigaunt control room.

The Commander turned back around, taking one last hard look at the massive Vortigaunt control room. A pleasant feeling washed over him. Until now, it seemed that only the small handful of misfits on board the Normandy were the only ones ready to take up arms in the struggle they shared. But now, seeing the life's work of these all but forgotten vortigaunts, gave the Commander a deep sensation of pride.

"What do you think, Dr. Freeman?" Shepard asked out loud, still gazing at the various control consoles, and the vortigaunts working at them. "You think this could work?"

"The theory is sound." Gordon replied, shrugging his shoulders a bit, letting out a long drawn-out sigh. "If I had to stake my life on it, I'd say it will. I just hope it never comes to that."

"You and me both." Shepard remarked, as they both chuckled lightly.

"Alra..." The Commander turned back to the vortigaunt in shackles, who had been standing by politely. "Please forgive our haste, but we must depart. We have to remain vigilant, to ensure that the beasts are never able to make their return. However, our gratitude to you and your people is boundless. It's comforting to know that there are others who share our vigilance, and our struggle. Thank You."

"The graciousness of the Commander Shepard and of his kin is humbling." Alra responded, respectfully. "And we too share the Commander Shepard's hopes that our contrivance shall never require incitement."

"Why don't you come with us?" Shepard asked. "You could serve as an ambassador to your people. You've all lived here isolated for so long, I'm certain a peaceful race, such as yours, would be gladly accepted among the other Citadel races. There is much we all can learn from one another."

"The Commander Shepard is too kind." Alra assured, bowing his head and clasping his hands together in the usual fashion. "But our place is here. We must serve to watch over that which we have created. Perhaps one day, when the darkness of the beasts no longer looms, we will accept the Commander Shepard's invitation, but for now we must not deviate."

"I understand." Shepard answered, with a nod, while taking a small rectangular object from his belt and handing it to the vortigaunt. "Here, I want you take this. It's a communicator – it'll open up a direct link to the Normandy."

Alra gently placed his hand over Shepard's, gently pushing the communicator away, and shaking his head. He turned around to face the other vortigaunts in the control room, and called out to them in their strange native tongue, as The Commander looked on mildly confused. Hearing Alra's call, three other vortigaunts ceased their work within the control center and approached their shackled leader.

Slowly the four vortigaunts formed a semi-circle around the Commander, as he furrowed his brow attempting to make sense of what they were doing.

"Chaum... Chaum... Bor'lek... Gallam..." The vortigaunts began chanting, with their hands extended out towards Shepard. He stood, looking on nervously, as their bodies began to glow with a bright violet light – and a green beacon pulsated from each of their hands. He felt a strange sensation run over his body, almost as if his blood was being warmed. He could feel it coursing through each individual vein. It was not an unpleasant sensation, but strange nonetheless.

"Guaram... Galla... Galla... Ma..." The vortigaunts incantations slowly came to a halt, as they lowered their hands and the celestial glow from their bodies ceased.

"What...? What happened? What was that?" Shepard questioned nervously, mildly in shock over what he just experienced.

"The Commander Shepard, much as the Free Man, has now been marked with the vortessence." Alra informed Shepard, as the Commander looked down over himself, placing his hands out before him.

"You mean, you can communicate with me now?" Shepard inquired, shrugging off the sensation. "The same way you did with Dr. Freeman?"

"There is no distance between us." One of the vortigaunts, who had been part of the ritual, interceded. "No false veils of time or space may intervene."

"Well... that certainly was... interesting." Shepard replied, clenching and releasing his fists rapidly, almost as if trying to make sure he still had feeling in them. "Thank you."

"But, as I said – we really must be leaving." The Commander continued. "We have a long trip back to Citadel space, and we have to remain watchful. It has been a real honor, and a privilege to meet you and all of the vortigaunts. Thank you for a delicious meal, and for everything your people have done. I look forward to returning someday soon."

The Commander extended a hand to Alra to be shaken, as Alra simply looked down at the Shepard's hand, attempting to figure out this foreign gesture. Upon seeing this, the Commander quickly retracted his hand, instead clasping them together and bowing his head in the fashion he had seen the vortigaunt leader do on a number of occasions. Following by example, Gordon did the same, with Alra reciprocating gladly.

* * *

"Hey, Commander. Doc." Joker greeted Shepard and Freeman as they stepped in from the airlock. The Normandy's engines hummed to life, as she slowly hovered off of the ground. "I hear those vorts can whip up a mean headcrab soup."

"Yeah, no kidding." Shepard acknowledged, as Gordon nodded at him respectfully, before receding toward the Command Deck away from the bridge. "Among other things."

"So, where to now Commander?" Joker queried, manipulating his controls as he prepared to engage the Normandy's FTL drive.

"Any word from the Illusive Man yet?" Shepard asked, as he stood looking over the bridge, out the forward windows.

"Nothing yet, Commander." The helmsman answered. "Things have been pretty quiet."

"Hmm..." Shepard thought to himself, an uneasy feeling washing over him. "I don't like it. Harbinger's out there, and he's gotta be up to something." Joker nodded, agreeing with the Commander, as he continued working his controls. "Set a course for Illium. If anyone has any information, or has heard anything, it's bound to be Liara."

"Roger that, Commander." Joker acknowledged. A sudden shift in force sent the crew reeling a bit, as the Normandy entered FTL speed, causing streaks of light to go flashing by outside the windows. "Setting a course for Illium."


	22. Chapter 22: Apprehension Part I

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 22: Apprehension (Part I)**

"But, how did you manage to survive all that without any sort of special training?" Yeoman Kelly Chambers inquired.

Kelly stood, leaning backwards on her workstation terminal as she conversed with Gordon. He was leaning back on the opposite wall, his hands in his Cerberus uniform pockets.

"Well..." Gordon began, hesitantly. "I'm not really sure, Ms. Chambers. Wasn't easy, I'll say that..." He said with a light chuckle. "But, I'm not a hundred percent sure how I managed. A lot of it still seems like a blur at times."

"I understand." She replied, sympathetically. "I think some people, like you and the Commander, just have a knack for being in the right place, at the right time."

"Yeah, maybe." Gordon replied as he shrugged his shoulders, and nodded. "But, I do look forward to all this being over."

"It'll happen, Dr. Freeman." Kelly assured him, cheerfully. "Besides, it's like I once told you... The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world..."

"What did you just say...?" Gordon beckoned, an urgent sense of panic now present in his voice.

Kelly's expression suddenly changed from one of joyful enthusiasm, to a face completely void of emotion. Her eyes grew cold and empty, as she gazed deeply into Gordon's green eyes.

"No..." Gordon uttered under his breath, shaking his head in a panic. "It can't be..."

He turned to look around. Previously, there had been various members of Shepard's crew, hard at work with their menial tasks, around the Command Deck. And although, there presence persisted – they themselves were now stopped dead in their tracks. Completely frozen in place, as he had seen so many times before. Just then, darkness began to creep in all around him.

"No!" Gordon shouted out loud in a rage. "Not again! It can't be!"

"Now... now... Doctor Freeman." A chilling voice resounded from the darkness. A voice that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, as a chill coursed through his body. "You didn't... think that I'd... forgotten about you."

"What do you want from me?" Gordon tried to yell out, but something was constricting him. Not physically, but somehow he was bound within his own body. His thoughts echoing only in his mind.

"You're not... ssupposed to be here. Dr. Freeman." The eerie voice continued, as the figure of a man with icy pale skin, wearing a blue suit appeared. "It's time... for you to come... with me."

"No... please." Gordon's thoughts beckoned, as he struggled fruitlessly. "Please, not again."

"Come... along now, Dr. Freeman." Gordon suddenly felt himself being dragged, powerless to resist. "It's time for you to... wake up and smell the ashes..."

"No!" Gordon yelled out frantically, as he shot up in his bed, soaked in a cold sweat. He took a frenzied look around, panting heavily as he tried to get his bearings back. He gazed out, through his window at the stars zooming by outside.

"Am I still here?" He asked himself, looking down at his hands, then back up at his surroundings.

Gordon swung his legs off the bed, planting them on the ground, and slouching forward with his elbows resting on his knees.

"Whew..." He breathed a heavy sigh of relief to himself, as he shook his head. "What a night..."

Gordon brought his palms up to his face, rubbing it vigorously, trying to shake off the uneasy sensation that had come over him. He turned, and reached over to his black rimmed glasses, resting on a small table beside his bed – carefully sliding them onto his face.

He looked up and spotted his modernized HEV Mark VI, propped up on a special stand in the corner of his room, fully assembled. Realizing that the Normandy must be nearing its destination by now, he slowly stood up, and walked over to it. He took a good, long look at it, eying it from top to bottom with a bit of smirk, before reaching out and pulling the left hand gauntlet away from the assembly, and sliding it onto his hand.

"This is Commander Shepard." The Commander's voice echoed throughout the ship, over the intercom system. "We'll be docking on Illium in about fifteen minutes. I know it's been a long trip back to Citadel Space. So as usual; if you want to stop and have a drink, have anything you need to buy, you're free to do so. You'll have about two hours before we pull back out of port. That is all."

"Do you think Liara could have some useful information?" Tali questioned, as Shepard finished addressing the crew.

They stood together at the rear of the Command Deck Galaxy Map, near the ship's elevator. The Commander was decked in his signature gray N7 armor, as per usual, complete with ordnance. Tali seemed to have made a full recovery from her slight ailment, standing with a single hand placed on one hip, besides Shepard.

"I hope so." Shepard responded, a bit of a sigh in his voice. "The Illusive Man hasn't heard a thing, and I don't like not having any leads. If anyone else could have SOME information, it's bound to be Liara."

"True." Tali agreed, nodding her head as the elevator behind them slid open. "And either way, it'll still be nice to see her again."

Shepard nodded in response for a moment, before noticing the orange armored figure stepping out of the elevator.

"Ah, good morning Dr. Freeman." The Commander greeted Gordon as he stepped out, onto the Command Deck.

"Hello, Commander." Gordon politely returned Shepard's greeting.

"And Miss Tali, you're looking well." Gordon assured, as he turned to face her. "I'm happy to see you up and about again."

"Thank you, Dr. Freeman." Tali answered, cheerfully. "It was just a small fever, nothing too serious."

"Well, either way – I'm glad to see you're feeling better." He assured, with a warm smile.

"And how about you, Dr. Freeman?" Shepard asked, his attention turned to a data pad in his hands. "You look like hell. Rough night?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Gordon concurred, as he torqued his head around from left to right, trying to stretch the crick out of his neck.

"That's a shame." Shepard responded, looking up at Gordon for a moment, before returning his attention to the data pad. "I know I've been sleeping a lot easier, knowing the vortigaunts have that machine. I still hope we never have to use it, but it's good to know they have it."

"That's for sure." Gordon agreed, nodding his head.

"Commander Shepard, sir." One of the Commander's crew members called out to him, working at a nearby terminal. "Could I have you take a look at these readings."

"Be right there, Ramirez." Shepard acknowledged, putting down his data pad, and walking over to the crewman.

"So..." Gordon began, turning his attention to Tali, and letting out a deep breath. "This place we'll be landing at. What's our mission?"

Tali chuckled a bit to herself, causing Gordon to raise an eyebrow in confusion. "There's no mission, Dr. Freeman." She replied, shaking her head and still chuckling lightly. "We're just here to see an old friend, and to find out if she has any useful information about the Reapers."

"Oh..." Gordon uttered, a look of embarrassment coming over his face. "I see... Well I feel rather foolish."

"I was wondering why you were dressed to kill..." Tali remarked, crossing her arms before her. "Literally."

Gordon looked down to floor, placing his hands on his hips, and shacking his head as the two stood there laughing together.

"Illium tower control, this is SR-2 Normandy – requesting permission to dock." Joker's voice transmitted over the ship's comm radio. He carefully navigated the vessel closer into the Nos Astra Interstellar Port, as ships of various shapes and sizes zoomed by around him. Some coming, some going.

"Standby for clearance, Normandy." A voice responded through Joker's control terminal.

"Permission granted. You may begin your approach." The air traffic control operator gave Joker the response he had been waiting for. "Proceed to dock 628."

"Roger, Illium control." Joker acknowledged, as he manipulated his controls to prepare to bring the Normandy in to dock. "SR-2 Normandy on approach."

* * *

"What the hell is this?" A furious turian demanded, in a gruff voice. "I thought we agreed on ten thousand creds, this is only eight."

He was a tall, and slender even for a turian. He wore blue and white armor, with an insignia on the chest, resembling an elongated egg with a circle in the top center. He was accompanied by another turian, and a large krogan, both wearing the same armor. And all three armed with pistols and assault rifles.

They were engaged in making some sort of transaction with a greenish-brown skinned batarian, inside a building that had been closed down for renovations. The building overlooked Illium's financial district, with a clear view of the Nos Astra spaceport. They were up, about ten stories, in a dark, empty room. The only lighting was that spilling in from the outside.

"Hey look man..." The batarian replied, trying to negotiate a deal. "My employer wasn't all too pleased with your merchandise on our last transaction. He said this is all you get, take it or leave it."

"I don't give a flying fuck what you or your employer have to say." The enraged turian replied, drawing his pistol and pointing it at his batarian customer. "This is the finest red sand this side of the traverse. Now either you pay the agreed upon ten thousand creds. Or I splatter your head against the wall. It's that simple."

"Hey man!" The batarian yelled out nervously, throwing his hands up in the air. "I... I... I can't just give that to you, I'd have to talk to my..."

The stuttering batarian was interrupted by the clacking sound of the hammer of the turian's pistol being drawn back, as it was cocked and ready to fire.

"Ten thousand creds! Sure... sure..." The panicing batarian agreed, nodding nervously as he began to sweat. He brought his hands down, extending one before him to materialize his omni-tool and punching in various keys with his other. "There... ten thousand credits transferred. Just like we agreed on!"

"Hehehehe..." The turian making the exchange chuckled maliciously as he lowered his pistol, and turned to his krogan associate. "Grox... give this prick his merchandise."

The towering krogan walked over to the cowering batarian, holding a silver steel case in his hand.

"Here!" Grox shoved the case, hard into the batarian's gut, knocking the wind out of him, causing him to fall over coughing. "Enjoy your purchase..." The krogan snickered sarcastically.

"Tha... Thank you... Thank you..." The batarian sniveled as he pulled himself off the ground, picking up his case and leaving as fast as his two legs could take him.

"Asshole..." The turian orchestrating the exchange remarked at the krogan. "It's getting harder and harder to do honest business around here."

"Hey... Hey Vex. Come here a sec." The second turian called out, waving over the apparent ringleader of the operation. Something outside the window had enticed his full attention. "Isn't that you-know-who's ship down there?" He pointed out, down towards the spaceport as the Normandy pulled in, and the locking clamps locked in around it.

Vex rushed over to the window, looking down in the direction his accomplice pointed out. A huge evil grin came over his face, as he began to chuckle snidely.

"Well, well, well... Radio the boss. He'll wanna hear about this." Vex ordered as he stepped closer to the window, gazing out onto the Normandy, as sinister thoughts ran through his mind. "It's time for a little payback..."

* * *

"Well, Mordin did do a really good job." Tali assured Gordon, as he looked over himself, clad in his new suit, already showing a few small dings and scratches from the skirmish they'd had with the Gonarch.

"Oh, absolutely." Gordon agreed wholeheartedly, as the Normandy's elevator door slid open, behind them. "He also made a few upgrades to my gravity gun. I'm very grateful."

A turian in blue armor stepped out of the elevator. He disregarded Gordon and Tali in front of him, and walked over to Shepard, who was still conversing with one of his crewmen. Gordon stopped and looked over at him for a moment.

"Hey, Shepard. I'm gonna head over to the Eternity lounge." Gordon overheard Garrus tell the Commander. "Care to join me for a drink?"

"Sorry, Garrus." The Commander replied, turning his attention away from Crewman Ramirez. "I have to go see Liara once I'm done here. Maybe later."

"Your loss." Garrus responded, shrugging his shoulders as he turned to make his way toward the bridge. "I'll be at Eternity if you change your mind."

"Remember, you've got about two hours, before we pull out." Shepard shouted out to Garrus who was already walking into the airlock.

"Hmm..." Gordon uttered out loud as he watched Garrus walk away. "I wonder if I should go with him, and buy him a drink. You know, as a peace offering." He stated, as he turned back to Tali, hoping to get her approval.

"I don't know..." She replied, dubiously shaking her head. "Garrus can be a bit of a hothead. That may not be wise."

"Well..." Gordon began again, gripping his chin between his thumb and his index finger as he tried to make an assessment. "I won't let myself get drawn into anything. If he starts to get riled up, I'll simply cut my losses, and come back."

"Well, I still don't think it's a good idea..." Tali informed him, crossing her arms, with a slight sense of disapproval. "But you'd better hurry up if you want to catch him."

"Oh, right!" He exclaimed, as he turned with a jerk to try and catch up to Garrus, before stopping himself in his tracks, and turning back to Tali. "Shoot... I should probably take all this off, shouldn't I?" He queried, as he looked over himself, referring to his armor, and armaments.

"Eh... go as you are." Tali suggested, uncrossing one of her arms, and motioning to Gordon. "After all, you do have full clearance. And you might need it if you're going to be dealing with Garrus."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Gordon replied with a laugh, as he turned to rush towards the Normandy's airlock.

* * *

"Hmm, I wonder if I can get some grilled zehk'reth around here." Garrus said to himself, as he walked out of the docking area, turning a corner into the Illium financial district.

"Aw, crap..." He uttered under his breath, as he looked out into the crowded trading floor. There was a sea of life, as every conceivable species of the Citadel races partook in buying, selling, and trading everything from stocks, bonds, and shipments, to weapons, pharmaceutical research, and indentured servitude.

Garrus thought about what a hassle it would be to try and weave his way into, and then out of the sea of lifeforms, but only for a moment. He remembered a back hallway he used to use some time ago to get around the fracas on the trading floor. It was usually used by the maintenance staff, but no one ever seemed to mind him using it before. Without giving it a second thought, he turned a corner to his right, and pushed through a couple of double doors.

Garrus walked down a long, plain corridor. The paint on the walls was dull, and unkempt, chipping off in certain spots. He could hear his footsteps echo with each individual step he took. The dull, silent corridor contrasted greatly with the lavish, deafening exuberance of the activity outside. There were no glimmering metallic walls, no neon or holographic signs, no sliding automatic doors. It was a maintenance hallway, plain and simple.

"Whoa..." Gordon uttered to himself, as he turned a corner, finding himself face to face with the same sea of life that had encountered Garrus, moments ago. He looked around at the various stock terminals, and enthusiastic brokers, pirates, and entrepreneurs alike, gaining and losing fortunes before him. He adjusted his glasses as he quickly searched the sea of lifeforms, searching for the familiar turian. Like searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack.

"He couldn't of cut through all this, so quickly." Gordon thought to himself, as he tried to imagine where Garrus could have managed to get to. To this point, the path was fairly linear, as they left the docking area. That's when the double doors to his right caught his attention. He didn't notice any sort of 'employees only' sign, or any other sort of dissuading markings.

"That must be where he went." Gordon said to himself, as he walked over to the double doors, and pushed his way through them.

"Damn, did I remember to calibrate the Normandy's targeting matrix?" Garrus thought to himself, as he reached the end of the long corridor, turning the corner to his left to be greeted by yet another long hallway. "I'll have remember to do that when I get back."

The second hallway, much like the first was dull, and unkempt – as a dirty white paint chipped off the walls. Although, not nearly as long as the first. There were various doors placed intermittently along the hall. Some were unlabeled, while others had signs on them that read things like; "Maintenance" "Utility" "Mens" "Womens" Each written in at least five separate languages.

As Garrus walked, making conversation with his own thoughts, he noticed another turian, wearing normal civilian clothing, come out of one of the rooms up ahead, and begin walking towards him. They casually walked towards each other, nothing seemingly out of the ordinary.

"Hey, buddy!" The stranger walking towards Garrus called out, grabbing his attention. "You got the time?"

"What?" Garrus questioned, as the two approached each other, meeting at about the halfway point of the long hall.

"The time... the time..." The other turian beckoned Garrus, bringing his arms up, and tapping on his wrist with one finger. "You know, the time?"

"Oh... Yeah sure, just a sec." Garrus replied, happy to cooperate, as he put his arm out before him, materializing his omni-tool. He brought up a large holographic screen, displaying the local Illium time. "It's uh... Four twenty-four p.m. here." Garrus replied.

Before he had a chance to put his omni-tool away, there was a sudden, strange odor in the air, as a light mist seemed to come through at him, from the other side of his omni-tool.

"What the hell?" Garrus asked, as he lowered his arm and dematerialized his omni-tool, to find the stranger before him pointing a small, cylindrical device in his face with one hand, while holding a small protective mask over his nose and mouth with the other.

"Nighty night..." The strange turian remarked through his mask, with a wicked look in his eyes, as he put the small device away.

"You son of a bi..." Garrus began to say, before he felt himself go limp. He felt his legs give out on him, as he collapsed hard onto the floor, before everything suddenly went black.

"Tyrras, Grox... Get the fuck out here!" The strange turian called out, as he crouched down beside the unconscious Garrus, removing the mask from his face when the lingering mist eventually dissipated.

"Nice job, Vex!" Another turian exclaimed, as he rushed out of a nearby room, accompanied by their Krogan accomplice. Both wearing the same blue and white armor.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." He remarked, as the three turned Garrus over onto his stomach. "Just get his fuckin' weapons."

"Where the heck is he?" Gordon thought to himself, as he walked down the long hallway, not spotting a singular sign of Garrus anywhere. "Something tells me, I went the wrong way."

"I say we do 'em right here." Gordon suddenly heard a deep, rough voice exclaim in the distance, from around the bend. "Finish what we started on Omega."

"What the hell?" Gordon uttered to himself, as he reached the end of the first hallway, not actually turning it. He stopped, and pressed himself against the wall, sticking his head out slightly, being as careful as possible not to get noticed, if there should be some suspicious activity amiss.

Looking out, around the corner, he noticed three figures standing over what appeared to be a body. Squinting his eyes, and trying to focus them as best he could, he looked down at the blue armor clad figure on the floor.

"Not yet, moron!" One of the three standing over the body reprimanded the krogan. "The boss wants to talk to him personally before we kill 'em. Come on, pick him up."

"Shit!" Gordon said to himself, as he pulled his head back in, grabbing his pistol out of its sheathe. "They got Garrus! Who the hell are those guys?"

He stuck his head out once more, as he watched the three pick up, then slowly begin to walk off with an incapacitated Garrus.

"I can't just run in, and start shooting. I might hit Garrus..." Gordon thought to himself, as he quickly tried to make a tactical assessment of the situation. "I should go and tell the Commander what's happened."

Gordon quickly turned, and began to rush back in the direction he came, before he stopped himself cold.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed under his breath, as look of frustration came over his face. "But I have no idea where they're taking him, and I know they're planning to kill him. If I leave now, it might be too late by the time we find 'em."

"Really wish I'd brought that damned helmet communicator along..." Gordon thought to himself, recalling the helmet issued to him, when he received the rest of his equipment. He shook his head, realizing the only thing he could do was to try and follow Garrus' captors.

Gordon stuck his head out once more, watching as the three dragged Garrus away, further down the hall. Before reaching the end of the hallway, leading to another pair of double doors, the aggressors turned, and walked through a door on the right.

Gordon rapidly turned, came out from around the corner, and rushed down the hallway – keeping a close eye on the door he saw them exit out of, with his pistol in hand. Reaching it, he slowly opened it a crack, ever so carefully. Being cautious not to give himself away. The door led to the outside, to what appeared to be a back alley. About thirty feet away, he noticed the perpetrators walking into the back door of an adjacent building, still dragging the unconscious turian.

As soon as they were in, Gordon bolted out the door, running through the back alley, nearly knocking over a nearby trash receptacle. He came up to the door, and using the same technique as before, gently cracked it open mere inches, to take a look inside.

"Wish this fuckin' thing would hurry up!" Gordon heard one of the aggressors exclaim. The door led to an area, housing two elevators, with a flight of stairs directly to the right of them. Standing only a few feet away from him were the three men, holding Garrus up by his shoulders, waiting for the elevator door to open.

"Finally..." The civilian dressed turian, orchestrating the abduction said, with a scowl, as the elevator door slid open. "Come on, get him in there." He ordered, as his two partners complied, dragging Garrus into the empty elevator, with the metallic doors sliding shut behind them.

Gordon threw open the door, and ran in, up to the elevator. There was a room nearby with a sign over it that read "Laundry." As far as he could guess, it must some sort of apartment building or hotel. He looked up at the digital display above the elevator indicating the floor, and watched as it change from 1 to 2. He immediately took off, up the stairs to the right to the second floor.

Reaching the top of the first level of stairs he peeked his head around the corner, towards the elevator, being cautious in case it were to open on this floor. He looked up at the display and watched it switch from 2 to 3, giving him license to run up yet another flight of stairs.

As Gordon reached the ninth floor, continuing to intermittently check if the elevator was still ascending, he heard the doors slide open. He looked out, around the corner to spot a lone salarian standing by, waiting for the elevator.

"This ones full... take the next one." He heard a voice demand sternly from within the elevator, as the doors slowly slid closed once again.

"Uh... yes... yes, of course!" The salarian replied nervously, virtually trembling.

As the elevator doors slid close, Gordon emerged from around the corner with the stairs, towards the salarian.

"Hey!" Gordon called out to him, startling the salarian, causing him to jump. "Sorry. Hey listen, you got a phone or something?"

"Uhm... y-yes." The salarian stuttered, in response.

"Good." Gordon acknowledged, breathing a sigh of relief. "I need you to call the police, or security, or whatever you got in this place. Let them know that there's been a kidna..."

"What?" The salarian exclaimed in shock, interrupting Gordon. "Those were Blue Suns. I'm not getting involved!"

"Blue what?" Gordon questioned, shaking his head and furrowing his brow. "Listen to me! I need your help."

"I'm... Uhm... I'm..." The salarian yammered as he slowly backed away. "I'm sorry. You have a nice day, sir!" He shouted out, as he turned and rushed away.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Gordon shouted out, at the fleeing salarian, as he continued to run off down the hall, without even flinching.

"Damn it!" Gordon uttered to himself, as he looked up at the elevator display, watching it switch from 9 to 10, and then from 10 to 11. Gordon quickly bolted up the stairs once again, to catch up with the lift.

Gordon continued to advance further, and further up. He began to pant under his breath, as the the fatigue slowly began to get to him. But only slightly. He continued up... 16... 17... 18... The floor numbers seemed to fly by, as he ascended alongside the elevator.

For a scientist, he was in miraculous shape, and surprisingly well conditioned. Gordon thought back to his days back in Black Mesa, before the Resonance Cascade, as he huffed up the stairs. He recalled how he used to enjoy running the Black Mesa Hazard Course for fun, in his spare time. All personnel at Black Mesa were required to complete the hazard course at least once, but he must have run it twenty or thirty times for pure sport. That, coupled with the fact that he spent hours on end running around in Black Mesa and in City 17, left him remarkably spry. Not to mention that this new, high-tech, upgraded version of his HEV suit, was much lighter than the previous models.

As he reached the twenty-fourth floor, he noticed the look of the hallways began to change. Up until now, every floor he passed was laid out in the fashion of a normal hotel, or apartment. There were hallways extending in either direction, with doors on either side, each labeled with a number and letter designation.

But now, the decor slowly seemed to be getting more extravagant, and luxurious. There were contemporary chrome tables, with various forms of beautiful plant-life on them. Some of which seemed alien to him. The railing of the stairs turned from a simple, cold steel railing, to an elegant wooden carved hand-rail. And the steps themselves were carpeted now. The silvery, metallic doors gleamed – and instead of a door nob, there was now an odd, holographic symbol on them. Most of which glowed with a dissuading red luminescence. But a sparse few were green. He could only guess this was an indication as to whether or not the door was locked.

25... 26... 27... He reached the final floor, as he escorted the elevator's ascent, panting fairly heavily now. He looked to his left, and noticed that there was no staircase leading further up. He'd reached the top. "Ding!" A bell chimed, as he heard the the elevator doors around the right corner open up. He quickly ducked down, backing away slowly, down a few steps of stairs, and forcibly controlling his breathing. Being careful not to be seen or heard, in case the perpetrators would cross the hall in front of him.

"Come on, let's go." He heard one of them order, as he listened in; hearing footsteps walk off the elevator. "We don't wanna keep the boss waiting."

Once they stepped off the elevator, the carpeting on the floor made it nearly impossible to hear whether they were coming or going. But after a few seconds, he had to assume they had gone down the hallway, away from him. Making a tactical choice, he carefully ascended the last few steps, with his pistol drawn, and slowly took a look around the corner.

At the end of the short hallway, he spotted the three men. The krogan, and the other turian were still clutching the unconscious Garrus, as his feet dragged across the floor. The third one, the one turian dressed in civilian drab, materialized his omni-tool before him, and seemed to scan it before the door's holographic panel, causing it to open, allowing entrance for the four.

When Gordon watched them enter the room, he dashed over toward the door. It was the last room, at the end of the hallway, on the right hand side. Vehicles flew by, outside the window at the end of the corridor, near the door, a testament to how far up he had climbed.

As he came to the door, he slowed his steps, to a gentle walk, not wanting to give himself away by stomping around, even on carpet. He carefully placed his ear to the door, tuning his hearing as best he could to see if he could make anything out. Inside he could hear faint muttering, but nothing clearly audible. The steel door was far too solid.

"So now what?" He asked himself, as he stood at the doorway, scanning the area with a pistol in his hand, contemplating his next move.

"Here he is boss..." One of the turians, helping the krogan carry Garrus declared. They walked him over to a sinister looking batarian, watching eagerly. "Just like you asked!"

"Ah... At last." The batarian replied, clasping his hands together. "Well done, Vex. I knew I could depend on you."

"No problem." Vex replied, as he watched his two cohorts maneuver Garrus into the study of the hotel suite, from the foyer. "The bastard never knew what hit 'em."

"Bring him over here." The sinister batarian ordered, looking up at a short chain, suspended from the ceiling, with a carabiner hook at the end. A fixture likely used for similar occasions. "Cuff him, and string him up."

"Tyrras, Grox... You heard the boss!" Vex turned to his men, and ordered. Pulling out a sturdy pair of handcuffs from his back pocket, and tossing them to the other turian. "Here, string 'em up."

Tyrras nodded, as he brought Garrus' wrists together, locking the handcuffs into place. With his hands locked firmly in place, together; Grox, the Krogan, proceeded to raise Garrus' arms up over his head. Sliding the chain, connecting the two cuffs, into the carabiner hook.

Gordon paced around a bit outside, trying to figure out what to do. "If I just try to blow the door open with an explosive, I could hit Garrus..." He thought to himself. "And if I leave, to try and get some help... It's a long way there and back... I might not have that kind of time."

"Shit!" He uttered to himself angrily, as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Wait..." He said to himself, as a thought crossed his mind. He started looking around the walls for some sort of fire alarm. If he could trigger it, perhaps he could lure them out of the room, and either get the drop on them if they had Garrus with them, or sneak into the room and retrieve him if they didn't. It was a long shot, but still a shot worth taking.

He searched the walls frantically, up and down, and from left to right, not spotting any such device. "Damn it! Don't they have fires in the future?" He uttered to himself, in frustration. He looked up, spotting a sprinkler system, but no alarm trigger. "It must all be automated..."

Just then, as he continued to search for something to use to his advantaged, he spotted an all too familiar form of conveyance for him. To the right of the room door, high up near the ceiling – there was a grate covering a large air duct. A quick grin came over his face, as he spotted it, and rushed over to it, sheathing his pistol.

He reached up, working his fingers into the grating, which was designed for elegance – possessing a variety of abstract, and floral designs. He locked his fingers into place, and gave it one, good, hard tug, expecting his hands to pull the grate clean off. Instead, the grate remained firmly in place. He gave it another hard tug, for good measure, but again the stubborn grate refused to budge.

Gordon shook his head with a scowl, as he reached behind his back, to his weapon's dock – pulling out his famed crowbar. He jammed the long flat tip, under the edge of the grate, and hammered it in firmly with the palm of his hand. Giving it one hard, torquing motion downward; he pried the grate off, with a screech. It wasn't off completely however, he pulled the crowbar out, and jammed it in, on the other end of the grate. Doing the same as before, he torqued it down, pulling the grate completely off.

Placing the heavy grate gently on the floor, and sliding his crowbar back into his weapon's dock, Gordon looked around for a means to climb up into the vent shaft. He spotted a small, steel table nearby, housing a beautiful, lavender colored plant on it, inside a clear glass vase. He grabbed the vase, taking it off the table, and placing it on the floor, as he pulled the table over, placing it directly beneathe the vent opening.

He climbed up, onto the table, switching on his omni-tool flashlight, and shining it into the dark, dusty air duct. Despite all the incredible, advancements and changes he'd seen in this new age, it was comforting for him to see that air vents, at least, seemed fairly unaltered by time. He placed two hands firmly on the edge of the air vent, pulled himself up, and climbed into it.


	23. Chapter 23: Apprehension Part II

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 23: Apprehension (Part II)  
**

A cracking noise came, as Tyrras broke open a small, white container, and waved it in front of Garrus' nose. Garrus gasped deeply, as the overpowering aroma of the chemical compound caused him to spring back to life.

"Wh... Where am I?" He asked, shouting out as he looked frantically around the room. Just then, he realized he couldn't move his arms. He looked up, to notice himself dangling from the ceiling. He was tall enough, that his feet could reach the ground, but even then, just barely.

"You sons of bitches, you're gonna pay for this! Who are you?" Garrus exclaimed, in an absolute rage, as he struggled against the chain suspending him from the ceiling.

"Well... well... well..." The batarian leader of the group stepped forward. "The infamous Archangel... Not so tough now, are we?"

"Yeah, and who the hell are you?" Garrus demanded angrily, as he looked into the four eyes of the batarian, before noticing the matching blue and white armor three of them wore. "Puhh... Blue Suns... I should've guessed as much."

"The name is Razenk..." The batarian proceeded to introduce himself, grinning snidely at Garrus. "And I'm the head of our operations here, on Illium."

"Yeah it's a real pleasure..." Garrus replied sarcastically, still pulling at his chains. "Unhook me, and I'll shake your hand... After I pull it off your arm."

"Hehehehehe..." The batarian shook his head, with a devilish smile on his face. "Oh, I am going to enjoy this."

"Yeah? Fuck off!" Garrus exclaimed in a rage.

"Umph!" He grunted in pain, as the wind got knocked out of him, by Tyrras ramming the butt of his assault rifle into Garrus' gut.

"Tsk... tsk... tsk..." Tyrras uttered arrogantly, as he pressed the barrel of his rifle against the bottom of Garrus' chin. "Ain't ya ever heard the saying; 'flapping lips crash ships'?"

"That's loose lips sink ships, moron..." Garrus answered back, looking angrily into Tyrras' eyes. "And we're turians... we don't have lips."

Tyrras smiled and nodded eagerly at Garrus, as he retracted his weapon from Garrus' face only to ram it into his gut a second time, leaving him coughing.

"What was that?" Vex questioned nervously, as he heard a sudden faint rattling noise, coming from the ceiling. The sound caused them all to look upward for a moment, and caused Garrus to raise an eyebrow, before they simply dismissed it. "Probably the damn rajaks in the walls again." Tyrras assured.

Gordon peered into the room, through one of the grates in the ceiling. Beads of sweat rolled off his brow, after nearly giving himself away. He looked around carefully, getting a lay of the land. The entrance opened up to a foyer area, connected to what appeared to be a small study room, which is where Garrus was being detained by the four men.

There was a very short pathway connecting to what appeared to be a dining area, to him. Discnerible by the corner of what looked like a dining table.

"Hmm..." He uttered very silently to himself, as he looked around the hotel suite below him. Slowly, he began to continue forth, deeper into the air duct, being extremely careful to be as quiet as possible, while hoping he wouldn't stumble onto any structural weaknesses. He decided if he could get an idea of the layout of the other rooms in the suite, it may help him formulate some sort of plan of action. While being ever so cautious, and careful not to be heard, he still knew he had to move fast. The pummeling he could hear taking place below, would only remain superficial for so long.

"You musta been tracking me for quite some time, if you finally managed to corner me here on Illium." Garrus stated, finding it difficult to lift his head up, as a small stream of blood trickled down his chin, from his mouth.

"You'd think so, but no." The batarian replied eagerly, as he cracked his knuckles. "I didn't track you anywhere. We're here on business. You just happened to be a lucky happenstance." Razenk informed Garrus, moments before plowing his fist into his face with a solid right hook, yet again.

Garrus looked up at Razenk with cold gray eyes, blood now trickling out from one of his nostrils. A look of a man completely unphased by the bludgeoning on his expression. But the bruises on his face told another story.

"And what kind of business would that be, Razenk?" Garrus questioned, a look of pure indignation on his face. "Red sand dealing? Weapon smuggling? Slave trafficking? Stop me if I get it..."

"I don't like to limit my business ventures." Razenk replied, cockily. "But this is much more than just business, Archangel. This is very very personal for me."

"You see. That night on Omega, when the suns, the pack, and eclipse all came after you..." Razenk began again, as he walked over to Tyrras, relinquishing the assault rifle from his possession, and walking over to Garrus menacingly. "You and that cock sucking Commander of yours, killed my brother that night."

"Hmm... You know, I killed a lot of scumbag mercs that day." Garrus replied, looking at Razenk with an equally evil grin on his face. "Refresh my memory, which one was your brother again?"

Razenk nodded at Garrus, cackling at his comments sarcastically, before swinging the butt of the assault rifle around, careening it hard into Garrus' face.

"Tarak..." He responded with a smile, as Garrus struggled to lift his head back up. The entire left-side of his face was swollen, forcing his left eye shut, but his right, still burning with the same righteous fire. "Head of the Blue Suns on Omega."

"Oh yeah..." Garrus replied, slurring his words as he clung to consciousness. "I remember him. The son of a bitch in the gunship. He's the one that gave me this scar."

"I'm gonna give you a whole lot more than just a scar." Razenk assured, coming face to face with Garrus, holding his head up, by pressing the gun barrel under his chin.

Gordon pulled a Mark 14 grenade off his belt, and examined it from his position in the vent above the bedroom. He had managed to get a fairly good idea of the layout of most of the suite. From the study in which Garrus was being held, a very short hallway led into the dinning area and kitchen, which connected to another intersecting hallway, that housed the bathroom, and connected to a large bedroom. The bedroom, and the dining area, being completely parallel to the foyer and study on the opposite side of the suite.

"Alright... Let's see." Gordon said under his breath, as he looked at the explosive in his hand. "Jacob said I could set these for remote detonation..."

He began to press on the buttons, on the small, disk-like grenade, attempting to achieve the desired effect. 10... 9... 8... The digital display on the grenade began to count-down slowly, causing him to flinch a little. And causing him to work much faster on it. As the countdown timer reached 3, the display suddenly changed to read ARMED – confirming that he managed to configure it for remote detonation.

"Whew..." He let out a small sigh of relief, after the brief scare he gave himself, as he adhered the explosive to the inside of the ventilation shaft. If he could somehow manage to lure some, if not all of the offenders into the empty bedroom, without cornering himself in it, with them. He could detonate it. Given the positioning of the suite, there would be no risk of injuring anyone in a neighboring room, and it was far enough from Garrus that it wouldn't hurt him either.

With the grenade in place, he pulled his crowbar out once more, and jammed it into the crevice at the edge of the grate directly above the bedroom.

"For god's sake, would you just do it already!" Garrus demanded, enraged, as his blood ran down his face, and began dripping onto his armor and the floor. "What is it with you people? If you're gonna kill me, then kill me, and be done with it. Or at least just shut the hell up about it."

"Oh, you ain't earned a death yet, Archangel..." Razenk replied, in a demented tone of voice, as he wiped the blood off of Garrus' chin with one hand, and smeared it onto his own palm, with his thumb. "You ain't earned a death yet."

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound erupted from the other room, causing all four of the mercenaries to jump, and prime their weapons.

"What the hell was that?" Razenk asked nervously, as he pointed his gun into the short hallway, leading toward the dining area.

"It sounded like it came from the bedroom..." Vex replied, pointing his pistol in the same direction.

"Hehehehe..." The four mercs were startled to hear Garrus chime in, with snide laughter. "Well it's about time."

"Gentlemen." Garrus continued mockingly, as the the mercenaries fortified their stances, and gripped their weapons tightly. Razenk gulped nervously, as sweat began to run down his brow. "I'd like all of you to meet very a good friend of mine."

An armor clad figure, holding an assault rifle slowly emerged into the dinning area, coming into view of the mercenaries. The lights in the dinning room were turned off, the only light, was that shining in through the large window in the dinning area, as the evening hours creeped in outside.

"Commander Shep... Freeman?" Garrus exclaimed in shock, interrupting himself as he realized the visage of the armor clad figure in the room across from him was not who he thought it was. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Who the hell is this?" Razenk remarked, cackling as he said it, at the sight of Gordon. Clearly not seeing him as any sort of threat. "What? Captain Goggles come to save the day?" He continued, as he broke out into laughter, with other mercenaries joining him.

"No..." Gordon replied, a stern look in his eyes, as he slowly emerged, midway into the short hallway leading to the study. "I'm just here to try and solve a problem. I'm not looking for any trouble."

"Oh?" Razenk replied, an eager, yet sarcastic look on his face. "And just what problem would that be?"

"You've got someone here who shouldn't be." Gordon replied, keeping his assault rifle honed on the batarian, as he looked over at the battered Garrus. "I'm just here to remedy that. If you let him go now; we'll both leave, and that'll be the end of it."

"And if I don't let him go now?" Razenk queried, crossing his arms in an intimidating manner, as his three subordinates kept their weapons drawn on Gordon.

Gordon was hesitant for a moment, as he looked over each of his targets. The two closest to him, were the two turians – both with assault rifles drawn on him. Further back, standing beside the dangling Garrus, was the batarian, still standing with his arms crossed, waiting for an answer. To the batarian's opposite side, stood the massive Krogan, brandishing a shotgun.

"Then I'd have to kill you." Gordon finally affirmed, glaring into the batarian's eyes, with a jade fire burning in his.

"Hahahaha!" The mercs broke into laughter, in unison at the seemingly ridiculous notion. As they laughed, they didn't notice Gordon ever so slowly walking backwards, retracting himself from the small hallway, and pulling himself back into the dining area.

"I've heard enough..." Razenk stated, shaking his head as he continued to laugh. "Tyrras, Vex... Get in there and kill this piece of shit."

The two turians immediately opened fire on Gordon, in acknowledgement, like a pair of loyal lapdogs, as Gordon dodged out of the way, into the hallway connecting the dining area to the bedroom.

Tyrras and Vex advanced into the dining area, letting forth a battery of gunfire, as they moved in. The rapid muzzle flashes from their firearms illuminating the dark dinning room, like a strobe light in a night club.

As he heard them approaching, Gordon quickly kicked open the door in the hallway, leading into the bathroom, and bolted in to use it for cover.

The two turians chuckled, looking at one another, as they slowly entered the dining area. The moment they entered, a fusillade of gunfire was there to greet them, riddling the walls, and ceiling beside them, with bullet pocks.

"Shit!" Vex exclaimed, as he dropped onto the floor, clasping his hands behind his head. Tyrras dove over the metallic dinner table, dragging it down, onto its side, with its legs pointing outward, in order to use it for cover. The wave of gunfire ceased, as Gordon retracted himself and his assault rifle back into the lavatory, to reload. The momentary ceasefire gave Vex the opportunity to move, as he quickly stood up and dove behind the same table that had given Tyrras momentary refuge.

"Fuck." Vex uttered, as he joined his partner behind the overturned table. "The guy's not as stupid as he looks."

"Yeah, no kidding." Tyrras agreed, as he laid on his back, loading a new thermal clip into his rifle. "I wasn't expecting that."

"What the hell's going on in there?" The two turians heard Razenk shout out, from the other room. "Kill him already!"

"cock sucking... WE'RE WORKING ON IT!" Vex uttered to himself, before shouting out to the batarian, clearly aggravated.

Vex sat up, with his back leaning onto table, as he primed his rifle. He slowly began to turn, trying to catch a glimpse of orange armored figure, as he peeked around the corner of the table. As soon as the tip of his head emerged around the table, it was greeted by another volley of gunfire, forcing him to rapidly pull his head back in, and lean back onto the table.

"This mother fucker is pissing me off..." Vex declared, as he held his rifle tight.

"I can't let 'em advance on me..." Gordon thought to himself, as he loaded yet another clip, into his assault rifle. He had managed to get himself into a situation he didn't want to be in. Unless he could keep the two turians, who had found suitable cover, at bay. Eventually, he would run out of ammo, and they would just close in on him, leaving him completely cornered. Either here in the suite's facilities, or in the bedroom where he had hoped to spring a trap. A trap that seemed utterly useless now.

He peeked his head out, to make sure the two turians were not trying to stealthily advance on him. Luckily, he could still hear them muttering amongst themselves, from behind the table.

"Some rescue this turned out to be..." Gordon thought to himself, as he lightly banged the back of his head against the wall. "Maybe I can get in a lucky shot, the next time one of them decides to take a peek."

The large window behind the turians made it fairly easy to see any movement for him. Even though the dining area itself was dark, the luminescence generated by the brilliant neon lights, and signs outside, made any movement clearly visible as their dark silhouettes clashed against the vivid Illium backdrop.

Just then he noticed the tip of an assault rifle protrude out, from the top of the table, firing wildly in his direction, without guidance. Gordon quickly pulled himself back in, in order to avoid catching a stray bullet.

"Wait a minute..." Gordon uttered to himself; His eyes narrowing, as an idea crossed his mind. As soon as the gunshots stopped, Gordon popped out once again, firing wildly towards the turians, however not actually aiming for them. He let forth a rapid string of gunfire, aiming at the large window behind them.

"The fuck's he doin'?" Vex asked, as he watched the window behind them, get blown out.

"The guy's lost it." Tyrras responded, shaking his head, with a chuckle

Just then, the gunfire ceased once more, leaving a large gaping hole where the window used to be. Gordon immediately dropped the assault rifle, and reached behind his back to pull out his gravity gun, as the turians quickly popped up, and prepared to fire.

Before they had the chance, Gordon quickly turned the gravity gun onto the table the two had been using for cover, using the zero-point energy generated to pull it towards him. Suddenly, the table slid across the floor, over to Gordon, as the to mercenaries stood in shock.

"He's a biotic!" Tyrras yelled out, stunned at the sudden turn of events.

With the perfect cover now in his possession, Gordon started to charge forward, as the two shocked turians opened fire once more. Their shots ricocheting off of the sturdy, metallic table, as Gordon ran into them. Using the table as a makeshift battering ram, he plowed into them, head on, knocking them forcibly out of the window. He heard their screams of terror gradually grow silent, as he sent them out, hurdling down twenty-seven stories.

Gordon chuckled a bit, as he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that was two less problems to deal with.

Having let his guard down momentarily, he turned around to find himself face to face with Grox, the massive krogan. The shock of seeing him, caused Gordon to drop the gravity gun, and quickly unsheathe his pistol.

Before he could bring it up to firing position, Grox immediately grabbed Gordon by the throat with one hand, and grabbed his hand holding the pistol in the other. Gordon gagged and coughed, as the krogan cut off his oxygen supply. Gordon pulled the trigger on the pistol, firing aimlessly to the side, as Grox swung him around with atlas-like strength, throwing him hard against the refrigerator, forcing his pistol to go flying out of his hand.

A sharp pain shot into his back, as he hunched over on the floor, on all fours – coughing as he was once again able to breathe.

"Come here!" The infuriated krogan yelled, as he picked Gordon back up, hoisting him a good three feet off the ground, by his armor, before throwing him once more like a rag doll, into the adjoining hallway leading to the bedroom.

Gordon laid on his back, writhing in pain, as he reached behind him, to try and pull out his shotgun, but being too slow to do so.

"Are we having fun yet?" Grox beckoned sarcastically, as he picked Gordon up once again, clearly enjoying himself. He then proceeded to slam Gordon back and forth against the walls making up the hallway, like a person swinging around a sack of potatoes, as he made his way into the bedroom.

"So who the hell is this guy?" Razenk asked Garrus, as he listened to the commotion, enjoying every bit of Grox' handiwork.

"He's just some egghead scientist, Razenk." Garrus replied, shaking his head at what Gordon had gotten himself into. "You already got me, let the little pissant go."

"I ain't lettin' nobody go, you got that?" Razenk assured, peeking his head into the hallway, trying to catch a glimpse of the action taking place in the other rooms. "Nobody crosses the Blue Suns, Archangel. And he's finding that out right now."

All of a sudden, there were a series of muffled crashing sounds, followed by a deafening one, as Grox came crashing through the wall, in the foyer with Gordon at the helm, having charged him clear through the bedroom wall.

"Freeman!" Garrus yelled out, showing genuine concern for his squad mate, as he watched him get plowed through the wall.

"Ugghhh..." Gordon uttered as he clenched his eyes, writhing in pain on the floor, covered in dust and debris from the smashed drywall.

Towering over him, the krogan bent down, grabbing Gordon with both hands by the throat, and picking him up, with authority.

Gordon gagged and gasped for air, as the krogan slowly began to squeeze the life out of him, completely restricting his air supply.

"Hahahaha..." Razenk cackled maliciously, as he watched Gordon struggle fruitlessly against his aggressor, his feet dangling a good three feet off the ground. "Now you'll see what happens to people who try to play hero. An annoying habit all you mother fuckers seem to share."

Gordon's lips started to turn blue, as he struggled furiously against the monstrous krogan. He slammed down his closed fists as hard as he could onto the krogan's two tree limb like arms, having absolutely no effect.

Suddenly, Gordon remembered something, as he lowered both his hands near his stomach, materializing his omni-tool in one. His eyes felt like they wanted to burst out of their sockets, and he saw everything begin to go black, as he slowly moved a finger towards a button on his omni-tool.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Commander." An attractive, young asari woman replied, shaking her head regretfully. "I wish I had more information to give you, but there isn't much to report."

"I understand, Liara." Shepard replied, as he stood up from his seat besides Tali, in Liara's elegant office. "I just came on the off-chance that you might've heard something."

"It is always an honor, and a pleasure, Commander." Liara affirmed, politely as she extended her hand to shake Shepard's. "It was nice to see you again, and you as well Tali."

"Thank you, Liara." Tali extended her hand, and shook Tali's as the two began to make their way to the door.

"You will investigate what I told you about, though, won't you?" She asked, as they stood at the doorway to her office.

"Absolutely." Shepard affirmed. "I'll be heading straight there, as soon as we..."

He was interrupted by the sound of an explosion in the distance. He quickly looked out of Liara's window to notice a small ball of flame erupt out of a nearby building.

"That came from the Belle Nos Astra..." Liara informed Shepard, as the three stood gazing out at the fire, near the top of the hotel. "It looks likes its the top floor. The leader of the Blue Suns, here on Illium, has been known to operate out of a suite up there."

"The Blue Suns?" Shepard questioned, as he looked over at Tali. "We'd better go check it out."

* * *

Moments before he passed out, or passed on, whichever would have come first, Gordon managed to detonate the explosive he had initially set as a trap. The hole created in the wall by the charging krogan, from the bedroom, worked perfectly in focusing the ensuing fireball straight out, towards Grox. And his massive girth, worked well in completely shielding Gordon from the blast. The explosion hadn't killed Grox, but it had managed to completely level him. Leaving his entire backside burned, singed, and seared, as he smoked, laying flat on his stomach, groaning in pain.

A thick layer of gray smoke now filled the room, causing Gordon, Garrus, and the two remaining mercenaries to cough heavily. The building's emergency sprinkler system had switched on, and began to wash down upon everything, quickly dousing the fire in the next room, and forcing water to start puddling on the floor.

"Garrus!" Gordon shouted out, into the smoke, as he slowly began staggering to his feet, using the nearby couch for leverage, in pulling himself up. "Are you alright?"

"Never better..." He heard the annoyed turian claim sarcastically, as the heavy fans of the building's emergency air filtration system begin to kick in, allowing the turian's silhouette to slowly cut through the smoke. The building's sprinkler system slowly began to wash the blood away from Garrus' face, and the caress of the fresh water felt good on his wounds.

"Ugh..." Gordon heard, as he got to his feet, looking down to notice the large krogan beginning to stir.

A look of pure rage burned in his eyes, as he reached behind his back for a weapon. Finding that he had managed to lose every last one, with the exception of his crowbar. For his purposes here, it would suffice. He pulled it out, gripping it tightly in one hand, as he rolled the krogan over, onto his back, with his foot.

"I warned you..." Gordon uttered, breathing heavily, as the krogan looked up at him, staring into his burning green eyes.

"Please, don't!" Grox pleaded; his eyes widening, as he watched Gordon raise the crowbar high over his head.

"Don't... Don't!" He continued to yell out, as Gordon brought his arm down hard, aimed directly at the krogan's skull. Grox clenched his eyes, as he saw the crowbar come barreling toward his face.

He expected to feel the excruciating pain of steel ripping into his flesh, but as he peered into the darkness of his closed eyelids. Nothing came. Nothing, except the chill of the water running down his face. He opened his eyes, to see Freeman's crowbar mere inches away from his eyes.

"Get up... Get out..." Gordon ordered as he pulled his crowbar away from the krogan's face, and stepped aside, still clenching it tightly in case the krogan tried anything.

He knew he took a tremendous risk, showing mercy to the immobilized krogan. At a moment's notice, he could turn on him again, easily capable of manhandling him. But at least this time, he would have the advantaged of being braced for it. Deep down, Gordon knew killing the krogan right then, and there would have been the most lucrative action. But for some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to kill someone laid out, so helpless and defenseless – even if that someone was a behemoth who nearly throttled the life out of him.

Gordon brandished his crowbar, stepping off to the side in order to give the krogan plenty of room to stand up. His wet hear matting down over his forehead, as the sprinkler systems continued the downpour. The krogan carefully pulled himself up, away from the ground, using a nearby chair – his arms trembling all the while. The two shared not, a single word further, as the krogan got to his feet. He stopped and starred at Gordon for a moment, but not with a look of anger, or hatred. It was a pleading expression, almost a grateful one. Grox nodded at Gordon, like a warrior conceding to his better, before turning around and walking out the door.

"Well aren't you a softie..." Gordon heard an angry voice usher in from behind him, accompanied with the familiar clacking sound, of a pistol's hammer being drawn back. "I always knew that fucking krogan was nothing but a pussy."

Gordon turned around to find what he expected. Razenk had managed to get to his feet, and had a pistol pointed at Gordon, as he stood in front of the dangling turian. Gordon dropped his crowbar, and put his hands up as he noticed Garrus motioning to him with his head. Looking down at Razenk before him, and indicating what he was about to do.

"I'm so sick of this hero bullshit." Razenk continued to rant, as Gordon pretended to find himself in a very dubious position.

Looking up at his chains, Garrus pulled himself up as high as his fatigued arms would go. Using his own bindings to his advantage, he picked up his legs and kicked them hard into Razenk's back, sending the arrogant batarian barreling straight into Gordon's awaiting fist.

Gordon's solid punch, coupled with the batararian's own momentum, slammed Razenk hard onto his back; the impact, causing a splash from the pooled water on the floor, and knocking the batarian out cold. Gordon bent over, relieving the unconscious Razenk of his pistol, and placing it securely into his holster. With his target immobilized, Gordon rushed over to Garrus to try and free the captive turian.

"Geez Freeman..." Garrus said, with a mild chuckle, as Gordon attempted to work him free from his chains. "You sure do know how to put on a show."

"Heh..." Gordon laughed, as he pressed down on the latch of the carabiner hook, bringing Garrus' handcuff chains out of it, granting him freedom from his suspended position in the room, but not yet from the handcuffs themselves. "I don't know how I keep getting myself into these situations."

Razenk groaned as he slowly regained consciousness, shaking his head, trying to get his bearings back. He turned onto his stomach, and looked up to see a now liberated Archangel, conversing with his strange, orange armored savior. Not wasting any time, he seized the opportunity, and quietly got to his feet as the two were distracted.

"Well for my sake, I'm glad you do." Garrus replied, showing an ardent modesty as he placed a hand onto Gordon's shoulder pad, dangling his other hand along by the chain of his cuffs. "Thank you, Freeman."

"And here I was, just getting used to egghead..." Gordon answered, with a grin. "Don't tell me you're going soft, now..."

"Nah, that's just the pain talking." Garrus answered, groaning as he removed his hand from Gordon's shoulder.

"Razenk!" He immediately shouted out, as he looked around Gordon to see the Blue Suns' leader bolt out the door. "That son of a bitch!"

"Ah, let him run..." Gordon stated, as he turned to watch the batarian flee. "He'll run, and crawl into a hole somewhere. Besides... with the amount of pain I'm in right now, I don't really feel like chasing him."

"Yeah... I know what you mean." Garrus replied, nodding his head, his left eye still swollen shut.

Razenk bolted down the hallway, looking back into the doorway of his demolished hotel suite, nervously, to make sure he wasn't being followed.

"Come on! Come on!" He urged, under his breath as he mashed the down button of the elevator, repeatedly.

25... 26... 27... A bell dinged, as the elevator reached the top floor, and the doors began to slide open. Razenk laughed to himself, and breathed a sigh of relief as he prepared to rush into the elevator. A grimace came over his face, as his jaw dropped at the sight of a dozen or so gun barrels aimed at him, from within the elevator.

"Where do you think you're going?" Shepard demanded, stepping out of the elevator, with his pistol pressed to the batarian's forehead. He was accompanied by Tali, along with a handful of Illium's police force. Two of the officers, one human and one asari, quickly rushed Razenk, slamming him down, face first onto the ground, and locking his arms behind his back with a pair of handcuffs.

"What the fuck is this?" Razenk demanded furiously, as the officers dragged him to his feet. "Do you know who the fuck I am? You got nothin' to hold me on."

"Yeah?" One of the asari officers asked, as they pushed him into the elevator. "Well we got one of your own who says otherwise. Says he wants out of the business, and he's willing to testify against you."

"You mother fuckers!" The batarian yelled, in an outburst, as the other officers restrained him. "You don't know who the fuck you're dealing with! I'm the one that should be pressing charges. That goggle wearing mother fucker... When I get out, I'm gonna fuckin..." The batarian continued to rant and rave as the elevator doors slid closed, drowning out his obscenities.

"Goggle wearing?" Shepard asked, as he turned to look to Tali, a confused expression on his face. Tali shared in his confusion, simply shrugging her shoulders.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something stirring down the hallway, towards the ruins of the demolished luxury suite.

"Hold it!" Shepard yelled out, as he turned with a jerk, aiming his pistol at what he saw move.

"Garrus...? Dr. Freeman...?" Shepard questioned in utter shock, turning his pistol upward towards ceiling, as he watched Gordon and Garrus slowly limp out of the room.

"Oh keelah..." Tali uttered under her breath, as she placed a hand over the forehead area of her faceplate, shacking her head.

"Shepard..." Garrus began, with a sly grin. His arm was draped over Gordon's shoulders, with Gordon holding on to him, as he assisted Garrus limp forward. He was still wearing the handcuffs on his wrists, but the chain binding the two cuffs together had somehow been broken. "It's about time you showed up."

"Do either one of you care to tell me what the hell is going on?" Shepard beckoned, unable to make any sense of the situation, as he holstered his pistol.

"It's a long story, Commander." Gordon replied, respectfully, as the two continued to limp forward. Tali and Shepard now rushing in to help the two along.

"Jesus, you two need a Doctor." Shepard commented, as he helped Garrus along, noticing their battered conditions.

"Ah, that can wait." Garrus assured cheerfully, despite the pain coursing through his body. "So Freeman, care to join me for a drink?"


	24. Chapter 24: Bonding and Briefing

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction  
**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 24: Bonding and Briefing**

"Ouch!" Garrus cried out in pain, as Dr. Chakwas snipped the surgical thread she used to suture the gash over his left eye. "Easy doc... That stings!"

Garrus sat on one of the operating tables in the Normandy's medical bay, his abdomen enveloped in a cummerbund of bandages. He wore a protective cast-covering over the lower left side of his face, and twelve stitches sealed up the large wound over his left eye.

Gordon was sitting beside him, on a separate operating table, as he pulled his Cerberus uniform shirt back on over his head. He had a bothersome bump on the back of his head, and a small cut on his right temple, with a bandage over it.

"Oh, pipe down you big infant." Dr. Chakwas replied with a mildly sarcastic grin, as she inspected her stitching to make sure the suture would keep the wound properly sealed. "I'm all finished."

The Medical Bay's sleek metallic door slid open, to reveal the Commander, as he walked into the room.

"Commander." She acknowledged respectfully, as she turned to see Shepard enter the room.

"Dr. Chakwas." Shepard reciprocated, as he looked on at the two men on the surgical tables. "How are our patients doing?"

"Well..." She began, as she turned to face the battered turian first. "Garrus is alright for the most part, although he definitely has seen better days."

"I've seen worst too, Doc. Don't worry about me." Garrus replied confidently, arrogantly shaking his head. "Besides, the ladies dig the scars... Although I think I may be over doing it a little."

"Maybe just a tad, Garrus." Shepard replied, holding his hand out with his thumb and index finger very slightly separated.

"At any rate..." Dr. Chakwas continued. "He's got three fractured ribs, a shattered zygomatic bone, and a mild laceration above his left eye. I've administered a lysine medi-gel solution which should help mend the fractures fairly quickly, especially in turian physiology. But I still suggest he take it easy for at least a couple of weeks." The Commander nodded in agreement at Dr. Chakwas' diagnosis.

"And how about you, Dr. Freeman?" Shepard asked, as Gordon cleaned the lenses of his glasses with the end of his uniform's shirt. "How are you holding up?"

"I feel fine." Gordon answered, shrugging his shoulders reassuringly, and sliding his glasses back onto his face.

"Aside from a few minor cuts and bruises, Dr. Freeman is a picture of health." Dr. Chakwas added, standing beside the Commander as they both looked on at Gordon. "Which is surprising, considering what went on."

"Truthfully, the worst I got was the wind knocked out of me." Gordon continued, before looking over at Garrus. "Garrus is the one they really worked over. I just wish I had been able to do something sooner."

"Well Garrus..." The Commander began, as he turned to the turian, crossing his arms. "It looks like it's a good thing Dr. Freeman showed up when he did. Hopefully now, you can put this whole stupid grudge behind you."

"Water under the bridge, Shepard." Garrus replied, bowing his head and putting a hand up. "I had some sense pounded into me, literally." He continued, as he looked up at Shepard, tapping his forehead gently, pointing out the stitched gash. "And any man who can take on two turian mercenaries and a krogan battlemaster is one tough S-O-B in my book."

"Who were those men, anyway?" Gordon asked, as he stood up, off the table.

"The Blue Suns..." Shepard answered. "They're a mercenary outfit, operating out of the Skyllian Verge. They call themselves a private security organization. But all they really are is an organized crime syndicate."

"They've had it out for me ever since I... put a damper on their operations on Omega." Garrus interjected, trying to fabricate a grin beneath his facial casting.

"I remember hearing something about that." Gordon replied with a nod, as he rested his chin on his closed fist.

"Yeah, it seems like getting my ass pulled out of the fire is becoming a reoccurring habit..." Garrus uttered, shaking his head as he pondered his days as a vigilante on Omega, as well as his recent abduction, before looking back up at the Commander. "At any rate, how's Liara doing? Did she have any new information for us?"

"She's good actually." Shepard answered, as he leaned against the wall, near Dr. Chakwas' desk where she had sat down to continue her work. "She's got some sort of trouble with the Shadow Broker, but other than that she's fine. I was thinking we'd come back and help her out, once we're done, but right now we've got a potential mission in the Artemis Tau Cluster."

"What sort of mission?" Garrus questioned, intrigued.

"Don't know yet." The Commander responded. "There's a very weak signal beacon that was picked up from somewhere in that region. Could be a distress call. We're heading there now to check it out. If you two feel up to it; there'll be a briefing in the comm room on that, as well as the information she gave us in two hours."

"We'll be there." Garrus affirmed confidently, as he looked over at Gordon and nodded.

"Absolutely." Gordon concurred.

"Good. Well, I should go." The Commander replied, as he stood up straight, pulling himself away from the wall, before turning to head out the door.

"Oh, and Dr. Freeman." He turned and said, before walking out. "I just wanna say thank you. I think maybe now you understand why I wanted you on this crew."

Gordon said nothing in response, he simply lowered his head slightly, nodding and grinning at the Commander, before Shepard eventually turned and walked out of the room.

There was an awkward silence between the three. Dr. Chakwas sat, working at her desk, on something. Most likely medical notes or charts. Garrus cringed a bit, as he slowly stood up, off the operating table; clearly favoring his abdomen.

"Well..." Gordon said nervously, as he pointed toward the door with one hand, rubbing the back of his neck with the other. "I should probably, uh..."

"Wait." Garrus beckoned, putting a hand up to halt Gordon. "Hang on a second, Freeman."

"Dr. Chakwas." Garrus called out, causing her to look up and slowly swivel around in her seat. "Sorry to ask, but would you mind excusing us for just a moment?"

"Of course, Garrus." She replied compliantly, as she stood up from her seat, and walked out of the room.

"Alright Freeman..." Garrus turned to Gordon, letting out a very long drawn-out sigh, as he held his ribs with one hand. "Now, I want you to know that I've never been one for this touchy feely stuff. But this is something I feel I have to say."

Gordon listened intently, taking special care to heed everything the battered turian said. He took note of how hard it seemed for Garrus to try and formulate the right words, often shaking his head and making hand gestures as his mouth hung open.

"Uhm... I..." Garrus stuttered as he continued. "I dunno, I just wanted to say... I'm sorry Freeman. And I was wrong about you."

"Well, thank you Garrus." Gordon responded, a bit astounded at the turian's newfound amicability towards him. "I really appreciate that, but that's not necessary. Really."

"No, no, it is." Garrus affirmed, nodding his head. "See, when Shepard first brought you on board, I figured you were nothing more than an over-glorified scientist who got in a few lucky shots here and there. I know how history has a way of... exaggerating the truth. That and the fact that you nearly put my head through a table, didn't exactly give me a high opinion of you."

"Yeah, I know." Gordon acknowledged, bowing his head and shaking it, as he put his hands on his hips. "I never did get the chance to apologize. I'm sorry about that."

"Forget about it." Garrus assured, as he patted Gordon on the back, and the two began to make their way out of the medical bay. "I owe you my life, Freeman. You're the real deal."

"Thanks Garrus." Gordon replied with a grin, as the two walked toward the door. "But I know you would've done the same for me, if only on principle."

"Yeah, you're right. Although, I probably would've let 'em rough you up a little more first." Garrus replied, as the two laughed, with the med bay door closing behind them.

* * *

There was a sudden sound of shattering glass, echoing through the bowels of the Normandy, as Thane made his way down to the lower levels of the Engineering Deck. He heard the sound again, and then again, as he was enveloped by the shadows of the lower regions of the ship.

Jack was sitting on the edge of her cot, a look of utter despair and frustration painted on her face, beneath the tattoos. She hung her head down, as she lifted a hand up, and pointed it over to a small table across from her. On it, were placed a number of empty glass bottles; a testament to her drowning sorrow.

Suddenly, a brilliant blue glow radiated from her hand, and shot out in a forceful pulse, aimed with surgical accuracy at one of the glass bottles on the table. The bottle erupted into a shower of glass as her biotic shock wave made contact with it. Her hand illuminated once more, shooting out at yet another bottle, causing it to burst into a million glimmering shards.

"Something seems to be troubling you." Thane spoke out, startling Jack, and causing her biotic pulse to miss its intended target and instead sweep across the entire table, erupting every bottle and flinging shards of glass in every direction.

"Thane..." She replied, with a mixture of bewilderment and aggression. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"I sought only to spend time with a friend, as I have done for some time now." Thane answered, as he stepped into the dim lighting of her living area, the sound of cracking glass accompanying his footsteps. "I did not realize I still required a reason to do so, but I apologize if I have caused you some form of discomfort."

"Knock it off, Krios." Jack replied scornfully, as she swung herself around on her cot, to lay down. "Don't start pulling that gentlemen crap. I just wanna be left alone, alright?"

"Something troubles you greatly..." Thane affirmed, as he walked in, coming to stand at her bedside, with glass crunching under his feet. "Yet you will not tell me what it is, or allow me to help you. Why?" He inquired, with genuine concern for the tattooed woman laying before him, as she rolled her eyes at him, utterly annoyed. "I told you, whatever burden you carry didn't have to be yours to bear alone."

"Jesus Christ, can't you take a hint?" Jack demanded angrily, as she popped up off the cot, and sat on the edge looking up at him, trying to force an expression of anger and resentment. An expression betrayed by the trembling in her voice. "Look Thane... We... You don't... I'm not interested in some dumb shit love affair with you, alright?" She stuttered, as she struggled to fight back the lump in her throat, hoping desperately not to make its presence known.

"Siha... I..." Thane began in astonishment at her outburst, but not by the notion itself. He bowed his head, turning away from her. He was silent for a moment, before finally allowing himself to continue. "I would be lying if I were to say that the short time we've spent together hasn't come to mean something special to me. That YOU haven't come to mean something special to me..."

"Perhaps I am being foolish. We are after all very different." Thane continued, as he turned to face Jack, who looked away from him, trying her best to hide the despondent expression on her face. "But, I would never dare pursue something against your wishes... Your eyes however, tell me something more. Why push me away now?"

Jack stood up, off the cot, nearly brushing past Thane, as she began to pace around in front of him like a caged animal. She wrapped her arms around herself, as glass crunched under her boots. Not so much crossing them, as it was almost a self embrace. Just then, she stopped pacing, as she bowed her head and put her hands on her hips.

"Murtock... A guy..." She began, as she turned to face Thane, a look of both anger and despair on her expression. "Used me like the rest. For sex... For biotics... It was FUN... And he ruined everything."

"What happened?" Thane inquired, sorrowfully. This was obviously something painful for her to recollect, but he had foolishly come to care about her, and he wanted to help her.

Jack let out a long drawn-out sigh, as she shook her head, before continuing once more. "We tagged a weapons frigate, with a batarian escort and got separated... He had a choice; leave with the guns, or come back for me. The idiot dumped the score, and waded into the squints. I made the shuttle, but no way he was gettin' out..."

"I see..." Thane replied, as he began to understand. There was silence between them for a moment. Jack starred off into space, trying hard to steel her expression, as Thane searched for a comforting word.

"I fly for a day or so, and the shuttle kicks off this recording..." Jack continued abruptly, after gulping at a lump in her throat discreetly. "He set it to play if he hadn't checked in. He figured that would mean he was dead... Talked about the future we were supposed to have... How he had planned to set us up a home... How... How he loved me, and he was sorry it wasn't going to happen."

Thane looked on, as Jack recalled the painful memories of possibly the only man she ever loved, her eyes glazing over with tears. As she spoke of this Murtock, he was unable to help himself from remembering his wife, Irikah. He knew only too well the torment of losing the one you love, and feeling as though you are responsible.

"Siha..." Thane responded, reaching out to her, and placing a hand over her shoulder, with her back to him. "I... I understand how you feel. But you mustn't blame yourself. It was..."

"I don't blame myself!" Jack asserted angrily, interrupting Thane as she threw his hand off her shoulder, and turned around to face him. "It was his own stupidity! He did it to himself... You feel, you get sloppy. It's that damn simple. He found out, and you'll find out."

"But if you don't feel..." Thane continued, as he noticed the black tears running down her cheeks, despite her every attempt to fight them back, bleeding the eyeliner around her eyes. "Then why are there tears in your eyes?"

"Damn it! Why won't you just fuckin' leave me alone?" Jack pleaded, looking up at him now, her eyes welling with fluid, as streams of tears flowed down her cheeks. "I don't need this... I don't want this! You yourself told me that you're sick... That you're dying... I don't need this shit anymore, Thane. I don't!"

Thane walked closer to Jack, as she bowed her head and looked away. He reached out, grasping her hands, with his and pulling them up, causing her to look up into his smokey black eyes. "We cannot choose what we feel..." Thane began, as he gazed at her. "When I first came here, I sought only to share a drink with a friend. I never once fathomed any of this."

"I wanted only to bring you comfort, and solace. And to bring myself redemption for the evils I have committed." He continued, as Jack bowed her head, her tears dripping onto the floor. "Instead I have brought you sorrow, and heartache... What you speak is true, Siha... I AM a dying man, and my time here is short. If you so wish it, I shall leave and I shall not return. However, if you would have it, what little time I may have left, belongs solely to you."

Thane looked down at her, as he awaited a response, but none came. She simply stood there, with her head bowed, looking down at her hands placed in his. After a few moments, he nodded to himself regretfully, and turned to walk away. As he did, he was pulled back, as she grasped tightly onto his hands, and looked up at him.

"You had to go and ruin everything..." She said as she looked up at him, shaking her head with a mournful smile on her face, and tears still in her eyes, as he smiled back and pulled her close. Glass cracked under their feet, as they held each other in the dim lit room. "So, what the hell does 'Siha' mean, anyway?"

* * *

The comm room's gleaming metallic door slid open, as Gordon walked in, a few minutes ahead of schedule. Some of the Commander's squad was already present, and waiting. Grunt and Mordin waited on the left side of the long table. Mordin paced around, in a small circle with his chin resting on his fist, while Grunt was waving his arms back and forth, bringing his fists together, and pounding them as they met, completely restless.

"Dr. Freeman!" Miranda called out eagerly, when she saw Gordon walk in the door. She was standing on the right side of the table, and had been talking to Garrus, who was still clearly favoring his ribs; evident as he held his abdomen with his right arm.

"Hello, Ms. Lawson." Gordon replied cheerfully, as he walked over to her.

"Garrus was just telling me about how you rescued him on Illium." She continued, leaning backwards against the table as she talked to him. "I must say I am very impressed."

"Oh, heh..." Gordon answered with a nervous chuckle, nearly blushing as he shrugged his shoulders and rubbed his forehead. "Well, you know... I couldn't just sit back and do nothing."

"Careful not to flatter him too much, Miranda." Garrus chimed in, grinning at Gordon. "You know how easily these scientists types get swelled heads."

"Mmm... Not at all." Miranda responded, looking over Gordon from top to bottom with a sly smile. "If anything, I think he's too modest. I like that in a man."

Gordon was silent for a moment, as he smiled warmly at Miranda. The two stood staring silently at each other for a bit, something clearly on both their minds, but neither would say what it was.

"Thank you, Ms. Lawson." Gordon eventually spoke up, nodding and continuing to smile, as a slight shiver ran down his back. "I... Uh..." Gordon stuttered a bit, searching for what to say. "I appreciate that." Gordon finished, as Miranda's bright expression seemed to dwindle slightly.

"Oh... Before I forget." Miranda began again, extending her hand to give something to Gordon that she'd been holding. "Here. It's a micro communicator."

Gordon looked down at what she was handing to him. He took it, and examined it in the palm of his hand. It was a small black device, no bigger than the eraser head of a pencil.

"I'm not partial to helmets either." She said, causing Gordon to chuckle, as he took the device and carefully slid it into his ear canal. "Just press on it to open a communications channel."

"Thanks." Gordon replied, with a grin. "I know it'll come in handy."

Just then, the comm room's metallic door slid open again, providing entrance for Jacob Taylor. The door slowly began to slide shut behind him, as he walked into the room. Moments before the door could fully close, it flew open again giving passage to a strange metallic being, emitting a brilliant blue light from what could be perceived to be its face.

"Hey Miranda, Dr. Freeman..." Jacob greeted, as he walked behind them, circling around to stand near the head of the table, next to Garrus.

"Jacob." Miranda acknowledged, accompanied with a nod, as Gordon did the same.

"Damn, Garrus!" Jacob exclaimed, seeing the mended turian for the first time. "They messed you up good."

"Yeah, they sure did." Garrus replied sarcastically. "And I'm still better looking than you." The two laughed, as they began to converse among themselves.

"Uh... Ms. Lawson." Gordon asked in a hushed voice, as he leaned towards Miranda, with his attention completely enthralled by the strange robotic squad member across the table. "Is that a robot, or some sort of android? I hadn't seen it on the ship before."

"Who, Legion?" Miranda answered, looking over at the metallic soldier, standing patiently beside Grunt. "He's a geth. He joined the Commander's crew some time ago, but he doesn't come out much. He spends most of his time in the ship's A.I. Core."

"A geth?" Gordon questioned, with a bit of concern in his voice, as he turned to face Miranda. "But weren't the geth the ones that attacked The Citadel? The ones working for that Reaper?"

"They were." Miranda assured, understanding Gordon's concern. "But not all geth share the same ideology. Many of the geth believed Sovereign to be some sort of god, and Saren used that to manipulate them. But most of the geth don't actually share this belief, and prefer to live secluded lives, away from the rest of galactic civilization."

"I see..." Gordon uttered, as he turned back to look at Legion, shaking his head and letting out a long sigh. "So then no species, organic or otherwise, is safe from the influence of those damned things."

The comm room's metallic door slid open once more, as Tali and Shepard walked in, and made their way towards the head of the table, on the opposite end of the room.

"Shepard, Commander." Legion acknowledged his arrival in an oscillating mechanical voice. Out of respect, every squad member in the room stood up straight, and acknowledged the Commander's presence with a respectful nod, as Shepard took his place at the head of the table.

"Okay..." The Commander began to address his crew, placing his hands down on the table and leaning against it, as he looked around at the incomplete squad. "Hang on, where are Thane and Jack?"

"Pfft..." Miranda scoffed in reply, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "God only knows with that woman..."

"I've noticed Thane heading down to the lower levels of engineering quite a bit lately." Tali ushered in, looking over at Shepard. "They've been spending a lot of time together. I think there might be something between them."

"What?" Miranda asked in disbelief. "Between Jack and Thane? You can't be serious."

"Yeah, I think so, actually." Tali answered as she turned to look at Miranda.. "It wouldn't surprise me at all."

"Well..." Miranda responded, shaking her head. "I'd have to see it to believe it."

"It's alright, it's not important..." Shepard interjected, putting a hand up to cease the ongoing gossip. "Someone can fill them in later, lets try and stay focused on the task at hand."

"Now, I'm sure everyone's eager to learn what information Liara had to give us..." The Commander continued, looking around at his squad, as they nodded in response. "Well, unfortunately it isn't much. And what little she did have, wasn't exactly good. According to her intel, about three weeks ago there was some sort of massive vorcha migration."

"Migration?" Garrus inquired, dubiously. "The vorcha aren't a nomadic race... Technically they're not even a space fairing race. The only reason they get around is mostly because the krogan like to use them as attack dogs."

"Right..." Shepard concurred. "Well it would seem they're space fairing now... Three weeks ago, right around the same time the vorcha attacked the Aurora, a small fleet of ships pulled into port on Omega. These ships apparently looked like they were built out of massive hollowed-out asteroids."

"The Collector's ships..." Miranda chimed in, a tinge of dread in her voice. "But I thought we destroyed all the collectors..."

"I'm fairly certain we did." Shepard continued, standing up straight and crossing his arms. "The ships that pulled into Omega were manned by vorcha. When we tracked those two Vorcha, who stole the Normandy's shuttle, to Naraan; they told me that a Reaper had come out of the sky on their homeworld. That it gave them ships, and promised to make them strong."

"So you think Harbinger gave the vorcha ships left behind by the collectors?" Garrus questioned, beginning to understand.

"Either that, or built them whole new ones." The Commander affirmed. "When they arrived on Omega, they just uprooted any of the vorcha there, and left. Mercenaries, Blood Pack, body guards... They all just up and left. What does that sound like to you?"

"It sounds like they're mobilizing..." Jacob answered, looking up at Shepard.

"Exactly..." The Commander agreed.

"But mobilizing for what?" Jacob queried, furrowing his brow. "Where did they go? You said this happened three weeks ago. Why haven't we heard anything?"

"Most of the galaxy considers vorcha nothing more than vermin." Garrus interjected, answering Jacob's question. "Expendable cannon fodder. They aren't intelligent enough to be considered a threat on their own. If they just up and left, I doubt many people would care enough to wonder where or why."

"Garrus is right..." Shepard affirmed, waving his finger in front of him. "But they're not on their own. They're working for the Reapers. And that makes them the number one threat in the galaxy right now."

"So what's our next move, Commander?" Jacob asked, standing up straight at attention, and putting his hands behind his back.

Shepard pushed himself away from the table. He clenched his lips, shaking his head, and rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"The only thing we really can do at this point, is head to Omega." The Commander declared, shrugging his shoulders. "Someone there is bound to know something."

"Aria T'Loak might know something." Garrus declared, nodding his head. "Anything that happens on Omega goes through her channels."

"Right..." Shepard agreed, leaning back on the table once again. "But before that, we have a more pressing matter to attend to."

"EDI." Shepard called out, as he turned his eyes upward. "Bring up the galaxy map."

Saying nothing, EDI complied with the Commander's orders as a three dimensional holographic image of the galaxy was brought up, with designated labels marking each of the known systems in the region.

"Now..." Shepard began, pointing towards the galaxy map. "About a day ago, one of Liara's informants stumbled onto a very faint signal coming from somewhere in the Artemis Tau cluster."

"Distress beacon?" Mordin asked, as he stood looking at the galaxy map, with his fist resting on his chin.

"Possibly." The Commander replied. "We don't know yet. Originally, she was going to pass this information along to her contact on the Citadel, and hope that someone there would check it out. That is of course, until we came along."

"It could be another trap." Miranda affirmed, looking over toward the Commander, as Gordon stood beside her, silently gazing at the galaxy map.

"Yes it could." Shepard concurred, nodding his head. "Or it could be someone who genuinely needs our help. We won't know until we get closer."

"Joker." The Commander called out, looking up toward the ceiling. "What's our ETA to the Artemis Tau Cluster?"

"Uh, none actually." Joker's voice replied over the ship's intercom. "I'm just about to take us out of FTL speed. Brace for deceleration."

The ship trembled a bit, and caused it's crew to reel slightly, from the sudden change in inertia. The squad members within the comm room were smart enough to grip the edge of the table, at the ship's sudden shift in speed.

"Commander." EDI's voice resounded through the comm room. "I am detecting a short range signal beacon coming from Therum in the Knossos System."

"If it was a distress call, why would they just send up a short range signal?" Garrus questioned, perplexed. "Especially way out here."

"Only one way to find out." Shepard asserted, turning his attention toward the ceiling. "Joker, take us in for a closer look."

"Aye Aye, Commander." Joker's voice responded over the intercom. "Taking us in to the Knossos System."

There was an awkward silence among the squad, as they waited for some form of clarification to this cryptic signal. The engine's drive core could be heard humming below them. Even without the Normandy's FTL drive engaged, the ship's state-of-the-art thruster propulsion system was faster than most known ships in Citadel Space. And fast enough that traversing through a relatively small system would take little more than minutes.

"Commander." EDI's voice eventually chimed in once more, causing the entire crew to look up, and pay close attention. "I am receiving an incoming transmission from a small structure on the planet's surface."

"Patch it through, EDI." Shepard ordered, leaning forward onto the table once again.

The galaxy map projected in the center of the comm room's table, was replaced by a sudden flicker of static, and a snowy image. Slowly, the image began to materialize into what appeared to be a person.

"H-Hello? Hello?" A woman's panic stricken voice emerged from the static. "Is anyone there? Can anyone read me?"

"We read you." The Commander acknowledged, as the projection cleared up, manifesting the image of an asari dressed in what looked like a standard researcher's uniform. The outline of multiple people wearing the same uniform could be seen behind her, many huddled over in fear. "This is Commander Shepard of the SR-2 Normandy. We received your signal beacon, are you in some sort of trouble?"

"Commander Shepard!" The asari exclaimed, with a sigh of relief, as she made out the visage of the Commander on her end. "Oh, thank the goddess. I knew someone would come for us."

"My name is Dr. Neira D'Sonlai." The asari began to explain her predicament, as she placed a hand over her chest clearly relieved. "I'm the head researcher here at this facility. We were sent here, by the ExoGeni Corporation, to appraise this region of the planet's resources and potential for colonization. Everything was going fine until we were attacked."

"Attacked?" The Commander questioned, sternly. "By who?"

"Pirates, we think..." Neira replied, not fully sure herself. "They came out of nowhere, and destroyed our communication's relay when they landed. That's why the only thing we were able to send off was the short range emergency beacon."

The asari doctor took a moment to try to compose herself, as she could feel herself begin to tremble as she recollected the horrific encounter.

"Before I even knew what was happening, they were already inside the facility..." She eventually continued. "They... They killed a lot of our colleagues. Those of us that weren't killed in the initial attack retreated to the personnel quarters, and we barricaded ourselves here, inside of the medical lab."

"A lightning raid..." Garrus interjected, looking over at Shepard.

"Are they still there?" The Commander inquired, with concern. "Do you know what they might've been after?"

"We're not sure..." Neira responded, shaking her head, with a despaired expression on her face. "We don't have anything particularly valuable, just a lot of raw materials."

"That's more than enough incentive for a pirate raiding party." Shepard asserted. "Don't worry Dr. D'Sonlai, we'll get you and your research team out, just sit tight."

"Commander, wait..." Neira interjected abruptly, fearing the transmission might be cut off prematurely. "There's something else... Before we fled, I managed to activate the facilities automated mech defense system. The only problem is they don't seem capable of discerning us from the intruders. I saw one of the mechs gun down three of my colleagues, and then turn its attention to the pirates. They're supposed to be able to identify us as friendly."

"Hmm..." Shepard uttered, as he assessed the situation. "That definitely complicates things a bit. Do you know what company manufactured these mechs?"

"Uh... Hahne-Kedar I believe." Dr. D'Sonlai responded reluctantly. "Normally, ExoGeni hires its own security force, but they figured for a small facility like this, the mechs would be more than sufficient."

"The HK mech virus..." Tali added, as she recalled their mission to disable a Hahne-Kedar factory producing faulty mechs a few months back. "I guess they never got the recall notice way out here."

"We think the mechs might've forced the pirates into the personnel quarters, just outside." Dr. D'Sonlai continued. "We heard a lot of gunfire a few hours ago, but it sounded like handgun or shotgun blasts, and the mechs are only equipped with automatic weaponry. We also heard voices and pounding, so we think they're trapped here, just like us. But none of us are willing to go, and find out."

"It's alright, Dr. D'Sonlai." Shepard reassured the frightened researched. "Don't worry, you and your team just stay where you are. We're gonna get you out. Is there anything else you can think of that might help us?"

"Well..." Neira began, as she thought about what information the Commander might find useful. "The mechs are programmed to primarily guard the laboratory and storage areas of the facility, which are on the opposite side of the compound. You can shut them off by disabling their central AI processing hub which is also located on the opposite side of the compound, beneath the storage warehouse."

"Hmm..." Shepard uttered as he pondered the situation. "Alright, thank you Dr. D'Sonlai. Like I said, just sit tight, we're gonna get you and your people out of there."

"Thank you so much, Commander." Neira responded, closing her eyes and breathing a heavy sigh of relief. "You can't begin to imagine how grateful we are."

The Commander nodded reassuringly at the asari researcher as her hologram faded into a blur of static and dissipated.

"EDI." Shepard called out, not taking his attention away from the center of the table. "Give me a structural read-out of the research facility."

Within seconds of his request, a three-dimensional holographic projection of the small research facility on the planet below them appeared. Every room, hallway, corridor, vent shaft, and structure within the facility was represented on the scale projection, and the primary points of interest were properly labeled.

"It looks like the facility is just made up of two wings." The Commander stated, as he examined the layout. "The west wing houses the labs and a small storage warehouse. And the AI core is directly underneath it. Here." He said as he pointed out the small room located under the storage warehouse, below ground.

"The medical lab and the personnel quarters are here." He continued, pointing towards the other half of the facility. "On the east wing. It looks like we've gotta go through the dormitories to get to the med lab."

"I am detecting multiple life signs in the east wing of the facility." EDI supplemented, though not revealing herself. "Both in the personnel quarters and in the medical laboratory. I am, however, not detecting any life signs in the west wing. Though my scanners indicate a great deal of movement."

"With no civilians in the west wing, we should be able to just blow a hole in the wall to make our way in." Jacob informed, as he looked on at the readout. "And as long as we blow a hole through the dormitories, on the opposite wing, we shouldn't risk hurting any of the scientists."

"Too risky." The Commander asserted, waving his hand in front of him. "That'll work fine for the west wing, but not the east. For all we know the people in the dorms might be researchers. And if they're pirates, they might have hostages. We need to find another way in."

"How about this." Gordon interjected, breaking his long silence, as he studied the hologram. "This canal that runs under the facility, a sewage duct of some sort. It looks like we can enter it from this drainage pipe in the south."

Shepard was silent for a moment, as he contemplated Gordon's proposed strategy.

"That's our ticket in." The Commander acknowledged, nodding his head at Gordon. "Well done Dr. Freeman."

"Alright." Shepard said sternly, as he stood up straight and looked over his crew. "We'll need two teams. The first team, led by me, will head into west wing, neutralize as many of the mechs as we can, and make our way down to the AI core to shut it down."

"The second team." He continued, pointing out the routes on the holographic layout. "Will enter through the sewage canal, make their way up through the dormitories, and extract the research team. There may be hostiles, so be careful."

"Commander." Gordon spoke up, respectfully as the Commander finished explaining his strategy. "With your permission, I'd like to go in on this one."

"Uh, sure Dr. Freeman." Shepard responded, a bit baffled at Gordon's request. "But, after what happened on Illium, I figured you'd want to take a rest."

"This one hits a little close to home for me, Commander." Gordon explained. "I know what it's like being a researcher in a facility that turns against you. I want to help those people out."

"Alright..." The Commander responded, nodding his head, a bit surprised at Gordon's resolve. "Think you're up to leading a squad?"

"If that's what you need me to do." Gordon replied, unflinching.

"Tali, Legion... You two are with me." The Commander called out looking over at his metallic crew member, and his quarian infatuation. "I'll need tech experts to disable that AI Core."

"Acknowledged." Legion responded monotonously, as Tali nodded in agreement.

"And I need two volunteers to go with Dr. Freeman." Shepard declared, looking over his crew.

"I'll go." Miranda affirmed, crossing her arms. She looked over at Gordon, giving him a sly smile, and causing Gordon to reciprocate one. There was only one person that used to smile at him like that. And it was usually on an elevator.

"Count me in." Garrus' voice called out, surprising both Gordon and the Commander.

"Sorry, Garrus." Shepard refuted, raising a hand at Garrus, and shaking his head. "You're a little too worse for wear to go on this one."

"Ah, come on Shepard." Garrus replied, leaning forward on the table, and holding his head up confidently. "You know you can't keep a tough guy like me down."

"That may be so." Shepard agreed. "But you're still going to have to sit this one out. I'm sorry Garrus."

"Oh, well..." Garrus responded, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head in defeat. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

"I'll go, Commander." Jacob declared, standing up straight, and nodding at Shepard. "It's been a while since I've seen some action."

Shepard nodded confidently, as he looked over Gordon, Jacob, and Miranda. "Take us down, Joker." He called out.

"Roger that, Commander." Joker's voice replied over the intercom. "Beginning my approach."

"Alright. You all have your orders." The Commander asserted, pointing at the holographic projection, and looking over his shore party. "Stay in radio contact, and don't take any unnecessary risks. Gear up and move out."


	25. Chapter 25: Battle for ExoGeni Part I

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 25: Battle for ExoGeni (Part I)**

The small shuttle's thrusters scorched the planet's rocky surface as it gently touched down. The loud hiss of the engine slowly quieted into a low hum as it powered down, and the shuttle's metallic door slid open.

Gordon stepped out first, wiping his forehead with the back of his gloved hand as beads of sweat already began to condense due to the planet's hot climate. He took a long look around at this strange alien world, as his team stepped off the shuttle, followed by Legion, Tali, and the Commander.

Rocky was the easiest way to describe Therum. Across the horizon, Gordon could see a number of jagged mountainous formations piercing the blue sky. However, the area they had managed to land on was fairly level. There was a light fog that hung in the air, although considering the heat evident on this world, one could easily mistake it for smoke.

"Alright." Shepard called out, grabbing the two teams' attention, forcing them to turn and look at him. He was fortified from head to toe in his usual armor, accompanied by his standard N7 helmet, with a red stripe going straight down the center, matching the stripe on his right shoulder. "Make your way into facility, and extract the science team. Remember, there may be hostiles, so be careful. Your main priority is the science team's safety. Understood?"

"Understood." Gordon replied, with a stern nod.

"Don't worry Commander." Jacob added, standing at attention. "You can count on us."

"I know I can." Shepard concurred with a nod and a grin. "Me, Tali, and Legion will make our way down to the facility's AI core and try to shut it off, in case you run into any mech resistance on your way out. Good luck."

"You too." Gordon urged with a nod, before he and his team turned and walk away toward the south end of the facility.

Shepard, Tali, and Legion walked up over a hill, away from the idle shuttle, with their weapons drawn. They approached a fortified steel gate enclosure. Inside, they could make out a few small buildings, with a sign overhead reading "ExoGeni."

"Do we need to blow the gate?" Shepard asked, as they came to the sealed off main entrance.

"No. I can get this open in no time." Tali assured, as she materialized her omni-tool, forcing it to interface with the gate's control panel. The control panel on the gate flashed red, as she began to masterfully hack into the security program.

"Got it." She declared, as the red flashing control panel suddenly turned green, and the heavy gate began to slide open.

"Great work, Tali." Shepard commended eagerly. He brought his assault rifle up, tilting it to its side, and clicking the safety off. Then he turned a small switch on it from "standard" past "incendiary" to "disruptor". A red indicator light on his rifle switched from red to blue, indicating that he had successfully equipped disruptor rounds in preparation for the synthetic targets they would no doubt be dealing with. "Alright, lets move."

"Therum..." Tali chimed in, as the three moved into the facility's courtyard. "I knew this planet looked familiar. This is where we first met Liara, when we got her out of that Prothean dig site."

As she said it, Shepard stopped and looked around. Although the landscape was unfamiliar, the terrain itself, and the arid climate was very recognizable.

"You're right." He affirmed, as he realized what Tali said was true. "It was on the other side of the planet, near the colonies. But this is definitely the same place. If nothing else, I recognize the heat." He wedged his hand under his helmet's visor to wipe off some of the sweat beginning to condense around his eyes, as he said it. "Well, tt's like Kaidan once said; 'at least it's a dry heat.'"

"But, I don't understand." Tali continued, as they advanced towards the facility, nearing an idle star ship sitting deserted in the middle of the courtyard. "Why wouldn't the colonists have sent help after the researchers sent out the beacon."

"The signal they sent was a short range beacon, not normally used for distress calls." Shepard answered, as he stopped and looked around the facility's main courtyard, examining the star ship, and the nearby mangled pile of debris that used to be a communication tower. "They're usually used to flag cargo freighters for drop offs and pick ups, in remote locations. If any of the colonists on this planet saw the beacon, they likely just dismissed it."

"Yeah, I hadn't thought of that." Tali stated, as she too took note of the ship in the courtyard.

"This must be pirate vessel." Shepard affirmed, as he looked over the small ship, gun in hand. It was chrome colored, and plain. A bit smaller in mass than the original Normandy, however lacking its elegance, and sleek design. It was bulky, and unattractive, but what it lacked in aesthetic value, it seemed to make up for in firepower judging by the two heavy cannons mounted under the hull.

"It looks like a modified C-22 Myriad Class." Tali replied, as she stepped forward for a closer look. "The thrusters look a lot more powerful than the ones on standard models, and they aren't usually so well armed."

"Good for out running the authorities, and big guns come in handy in a pinch, or for surprise attacks..." Shepard supplemented, shaking his head at the obvious pirate vessel. "If the ship's still here, the pirates are still here. I'd better radio Gordon's team and let 'em know."

"Ugh..." Miranda cringed, covering her nose and mouth with the back of her wrist as they approached a large drainage pipe, protruding out of a rocky mound. "That positively reeks!"

Gordon approached the pipe, completely unphased by the fetid odor emanating from within. There were green and brown puddle stains on the rocky floor, leading off down the hill. The pipe itself was larger than Gordon had anticipated, he expected they would likely have to crawl through on all fours, but it was large enough that a slight crouch should be enough to get them through.

"Doesn't the smell bother you, Dr. Freeman?" Miranda asked, as she watched Gordon shine his omni-tool flashlight into the pipe, examining it.

"I've seen my share of sewers." His voice echoed confidently, bouncing off the pipe's inner metallic walls. "I don't mind getting my hands dirty." He assured as he turned to her and smiled.

"Yeah, come on Miranda." Jacob said, as he approached the pipe and took a look into it himself. "Afraid to stain your uniform?"

"Very funny Jacob..." She said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at him.

"Shepard to extraction team." The Commander's voice suddenly came in, over Gordon's communicator, surprising him a bit. "Do you copy?"

Gordon brought his hand up, and pressed a finger against the micro-communicator lodged in his ear canal, as Miranda had instructed.

"Uhm..." Gordon stuttered as he began. This was all very new to him. He wasn't used to the protocol and procedure of radio communications or reporting in. "This... This is Gordon. We copy you Commander." Gordon pulled his finger away from the communicator awaiting a response.

"We've spotted the raider's ship out here." Shepard's voice continued as Gordon and his team paid close attention. "That means they're likely still in the facility. I was hoping it'd just be the researchers, but it looks like you might run into a bit of trouble. Watch yourselves in there, and remember, the main priority is the science team."

"Will d..." Gordon began, before realizing he wasn't pressing on the communicator. He shook his head in mild frustration, and pressed down on. "Will do, Commander. Thanks for the heads up. Gordon, er... extraction team over and out."

"So much for a simple rescue operation." Miranda stated, shaking her head.

"Missions like these always seem to find a way to be anything but simple." Jacob replied, crossing his arms.

"All the more reason for us to hurry." Gordon affirmed confidently, as he turned his attention back to the pipe.

Just then, Gordon hoisted himself up, climbing up into the pipe, his hands and feet splashing on the murky water puddled at end of it. He stood up inside, having to bend down a bit to avoid hitting his head.

"Shall we?" He said, as he turned around, and extended a hand to Miranda in order to pull her up, surprising her, and causing her to smile up at him.

"Heh..." Jacob chuckled lightly to himself, as he watched Gordon pull Miranda up into the pipe, after taking his hand. "I'll be damned." He shook his head with a grin, as he climbed up after Miranda.

* * *

"Halt." A mechanic voice ordered, as three LOKI mechs stood up from their prone positions in the facilities courtyard. "You are trespassing on ExoGeni property."

The mech's mechanical bodies gleamed in the intense sunlight, as they stood up. They were mostly white, accented with black and red. They stood about the height of an average human, though their frame was no where near as supple. Their figure more closely resembled that of a salarian's. Two optic scanners glowed with a brilliant red light, from their faceplate; two half circles in the shape of a figure eight. They stood up, from a fetal like position, in the courtyard as the Commander and his team approached.

Suddenly, as the three mechs drew their weapons to fire at the intruding team, a small discus object flew in, landing on the floor, perfectly between the three mechs.

"3... 2... 1..." A small digital readout displayed a countdown, as a large electrical pulse shot out from the device.

"Please put down your weapons... your weapons... your weap..." The mechs began to convulse violently as the electrical pulse reached them, obviously disrupting some crucial internal functionality.

There was a sudden series of clanging sounds, as the three robotic guards suddenly dropped to the floor, lifeless. Recycled to little more than a pile of expensive scrap metal.

"Threat neutralized, Shepard Commander." Legion affirmed, as he stepped closer, making sure his EMP was successful in overloading the synthetic's systems.

"Nice work, Legion." Shepard declared, as he stepped up to examine the facility's main entrance. The entire structure had been completely closed off. Large blast doors sealed all the entrances, and stainless steel shutters sealed the windows. The building itself, however, seemed to be constructed from a low-grade, industrial, aluminum-steel alloy. Fairly sturdy looking to the naked eye, but a well planted explosive would have little difficulty penetrating the cheap construction material.

"Are we certain that there are no life signs within this area of the building?" Shepard questioned, turning to Tali.

Tali brought her arm up, and held it out in front, cupping her hand, and forcing her omni-tool to materialize before her. It buzzed lightly, as she punched in a few keys, to take one last reading.

"It's clear." Tali assured, as she turned to Shepard and nodded. "Should I plant the explosive?"

The Commander was silent for a moment, as he looked up and around, examining the building. Just then, a bit of a wicked grin came over his face, as a thought crossed his mind.

"No..." He said, with a devious smile. "I've got a better idea."

He turned around, and walked away from the building. As he walked, he placed his assault rifle onto his back and pulled off a large device, mounted onto the center of his armor's weapon's dock. It was yellow and silver, ominously marked with a hazardous looking radiation symbol.

"Oh keelah..." Tali uttered, rolling her eyes beneath her faceplate. She turned to Legion, and motioned for him to follow, as they both rushed away from the building to find suitable cover.

Shepard walked a good distance away, prepping his preferred toy; the experimental M-920 Cain High Capacity Explosive Launcher. Capable of firing a highly volatile 25 gram slug at five kilometers per second, this particular "boom stick" had found a lot of favor with the Commander. The only real drawback to such a powerful piece of devastating ordnance, is the highly volatile state of its ammunition leaves it only enough room to be fired once every few hours.

"Stand clear." Shepard ordered, as he turned around, and pointed his weapon at the side of the facility. He stood about four-hundred yards away from the building. Legion and Tali had found cover, crouched down behind the pirate's derelict ship. The protective shutters covering the barrel of the M-920 spun around and retracted themselves as Shepard took aim.

"Fire in the hole!" He yelled out, as a loud buzzing sound began oscillating from his weapon faster and faster, and a vivid orange glow began to radiate from its barrel as it charged up to fire. Suddenly, a large projectile shot out, barreling straight towards the facility wall. Instinctively, Shepard turned away and shielded his eyes as soon as it launched. There was a massive explosion, accompanied by a blinding orange glow. The entire area was bathed in Armageddon's light, as an abrupt shock wave and a blast of hot air collided against the Commander, who stood firm.

"What was that?" Gordon beckoned anxiously, holding the walls of the narrow pipe to keep his balance, upon hearing the booming explosion. The entire sewage pipe trembled from the shock wave, as they waded through it.

"Hehehehe..." Jacob simply chuckled in response, as he heard it.

"Ugh..." Miranda groaned, as she rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, it's just Shepard playing with his big gun again."

"Must be some gun..." Gordon replied, shaking his head with a look of amazement on his face, before they continued forth through the sewage duct.

"Very subtle, John." Tali said sarcastically, as she approached him, staring at the gaping hole in the wall, with flaming pieces of debris still collapsing around it. "You sure know how to make an entrance."

"Thanks." Shepard replied, as he winked at her from behind his visor, with a sly grin.

"Come on." He motioned at her and Legion, as he put the M-920 away, and pulled his assault rifle back out. "Lets get inside."

"Hostile forces detected!" A mechanical voice shouted out, as a small group of LOKI mechs poured out from the newly created entrance, firing on the Commander and his team. "Engaging."

"Go!" Shepard shouted out, as he and Tali bolted back behind the pirate vessel. Legion took off in the opposite direction, taking cover behind the mangled remains of the facility's communication tower.

Shepard primed his assault rifle, as he leaned against the cruiser, tapping his rifle to make sure a thermal clip was properly loaded into place. Bullets ricocheted around the corner of the ship, inches away from him.

"Legion!" He called out, causing his synthetic squad mate to shine his face up over at the Commander. "Are you hit?"

"Negative." The geth replied in an echoing metallic voice, as a barrage of gunfire rained down against the debris. "We have not sustained external damage. However, situation undesirable. Suggest expeditious resolution."

"Just hang on." Shepard ordered, as he tuned his hearing, careful not to let the mechs advance on their position.

"How many?" Tali asked, as she brought up her arm, causing her omni-tool to appear.

Shepard stuck his head out, ever so slightly, being cautious not to catch a stray bullet. Even if he managed to do so, his helmet coupled with his suit's kinetic barrier shields would protect him from a few stray rounds, though he preferred not to tempt fate. He took extra care to count the mechs numbers, as well as to take note of their positions.

"Seven." He called out, as a round ricocheted off the ship's exterior, about an inch from his face, causing him to pull his head back in. Tali nodded, and continued to work feverishly on her omni-tool.

Just then, there was a brief intermission in the gunfire, a break no more than a few milliseconds in length. The moment's notice was all it took for Shepard to swing himself around the corner. Feeding off an adrenaline rush, with lightning speed and surgical accuracy – The Commander popped out, taking aim with his rifle and letting forth a rapid battery of gunfire; perfectly placing a number of rounds through the heads of three of the mechs.

Sparks flew as the mechanical guards twitched, before collapsing to the ground, leaving nothing but a mangled pile of expensive wreckage.

"Four." Shepard corrected confidently, as he released a smoking thermal clip from his assault rifle, letting it drop to the floor as he slid in a fresh one. Tali looked over at him, and nodded with her omni-tool still out.

"Excuse me, John." Tali said, nonchalantly, as she crossed in front of him. She too listened for a ceasefire, when the mechs would reload. As soon as she heard it, with a speed almost rivaling the Commander's; she stepped out, and pointed her omni-tool at the remaining drones.

Suddenly, they began to twitch violently, as something seemed to disrupt their programming. When the twitching stopped, they raised their weapons once more. This time, however, they turned to face one another.

"Hostile forces detected. Hostile forces detected." All four of the mechs called out, as they turned their weapons on themselves. There was an abrupt crossfire, as each of them selected a target and fired. Circuits, screws, and scraps of metal went flying as the synthetics tore each other apart. Before long, the mechs collapsed one by one on top of each other, and all that was left was a smoking, sparking pile of spare parts. It was difficult to discern where one ended, and another began.

The silence gave license for Legion to stand up, from behind his makeshift cover, and look towards the wreckage.

"Heh..." Shepard chuckled, as he turned the corner and saw what was left of the mechs, before turning back to face Tali. "I love it when you get technical."

* * *

"This should be it." Jacob affirmed, as light filtered down into the pipe, from a drain above. "We should be right under the facility's living quarters."

"Hmm..." Gordon uttered to himself, as he looked up at the small openings, reaching his hand up, and working his fingers into the holes. "It looks like it's just a drain, non-removable."

"I think maybe I can chip away around it, and make an opening." Gordon continued, as he brought his hand behind his back, and began to pull out his crowbar.

"Don't worry, Freeman. We got it covered." Jacob assured, as he pulled a small cylindrical device out of his uniform pocket, and handed it to Gordon. "Here, use this. Laser cutter, quarian design."

Gordon slid his crowbar back into place on his back, as he took the device from Jacob. He examined it in his hand, clasping it between his thumb and index finger, rotating it around. It was long, and slender – resembling a simple pen. It had a slider switch on the side, the kind one might find on a box-cutter.

Taking it, he looked up at the drain, and aimed it upwards. He moved the slider, and suddenly a dim red beam burst out of the tip, and began to singe the area around the drain. Doing little more than leaving a scorch mark however, he slid the the switch up further, causing the beam to intensify to a brilliant red light, and burn a hole straight through. Gordon smiled, and slowly began to guide the beam around the outside of the drain, making sure to cut a hole wide enough for them to fit through.

As he finished his cut, he stepped aside, allowing the slab around the drain to fall into the pipe, making a splash into the murky water.

Gordon reached up. He clasped the edge around the hole firmly with his hands, and looked around the inside of the pipe for someway to get enough footing to push himself up.

"Here." Jacob stated, as he moved towards Gordon, bending over and locking his fingers together. "I'll give you a boost."

"Thanks." Gordon said with a grin, as he lifted his leg, putting a muddy foot onto Jacob's clasped hands, and using it to push himself up through the hole.

His shoulder pads scraped along the edge of the hole, which proved to be more narrow than he originally intended, but it wouldn't be a problem. As he climbed up, he took a quick look around, finding himself in the middle of the facility's lavatory.

"Give me your hand." He said, as he reached back down into the hole, taking a hold of Miranda's hand. Gordon was able to pull her up with relative ease, as she too used Jacob's hands for leverage.

Pulling her out, he stood up as she emerged. As she was nearly out, she placed her foot on the edge of the hole to step up. Suddenly, she lost her footing, nearly slipping backwards back into the hole. As stylish and alluring as her high heeled boots may appear, they weren't exactly the most versatile.

"Careful!" Gordon shouted out, as he quickly reached out, putting his arm around her hip and pulling her back in.

"Oh..." Miranda uttered, with a pleasantly surprised alluring smile, as she came face to face with Gordon. With his arm around her, as he pulled her forward away from the hole. "Thank you..."

Gordon was silent for a moment, as he felt a pleasant chill wash over his body. Before he even realized he was still holding her, he felt a smile come over his expression, as they stood looking into one another's eyes.

"Oh!" Gordon exclaimed, as he quickly retracted his hand once he realized what he was doing, "Uh... of... of course. My pleasure. I mean..." He stuttered nervously, rubbing his brow with with his hand. "Excuse me, I have to... to pull Jacob out."

"Give me your hand, Jacob." Gordon called out, crouching near the edge of the hole and reaching in, as Miranda walked a few feet away, her arms crossed shaking her head with a despondent expression on her face.

* * *

"Hostile forces detected." A monotonous metallic voice declared, as the Commander's team rushed into the facility's storage warehouse, through the gaping hole in the wall.

Shepard's entrance caught the attention of nearly every mechanical drone patrolling the innards of the small warehouse. There were crates and containers of varying sizes, both suspended from cranes on tracks along the ceiling, as well as stacked on the floor. Each of the crates was labeled "Property of The ExoGeni Corporation." Accompanied by their company logo, and a label of the crates contents. Many of which read "Palladium" or "Iridium". Some were marked with dissuading red and white stripes, as well as a red sign with a flame icon upon it.

"The stairwell leading down to the A.I. Core is at the opposite end of this warehouse." Shepard shouted, to be heard over the incessant gunfire being rained down in their direction. They had found cover behind a large container, near the entrance he had created. "We'll advance slowly, and stick to cover. Watch out for any of the boxes that look like they might go boom."

"Acknowledged." Legion asserted, locking a thermal clip firmly into place on his sniper rifle.

"I'm right behind you." Tali assured him, nodding as she cocked her shotgun.

"Alright." The Commander said, as he pressed his back against the container wall, with his assault rifle brandished, waiting for a small break in the gunfire. "We move on my mark."

Shepard looked at Legion, then looked over at Tali, a resolute expression on his face. For him this was just another day at the office, business as usual. He raised his hand up, putting up three fingers. Then he lowered one, leaving only two, and then one.

"Go!" He shouted, as he lowered his last finger. He popped out from behind the container, and took aim with his assault rifle. Pulling the trigger, he let forth a rapid battery of rounds, drilling through the two nearest LOKI mechs, causing them to erupt into a burst of sparks and scraps.

"Go get 'em Chiktikka!" Tali shouted out, as she dashed from behind her cover, pointing her omni-tool and releasing her faithful holographic combat drone. "Good girl!"

"Intruders detected. Please relinquish your weapons." Three of the mechs ordered, as they approached Tali's hovering holographic companion. Meanwhile Shepard, Legion, and Tali had advanced further into the warehouse. Shepard took cover behind a column of stacked crates, while Legion and Tali crouched down behind a long, sturdy looking metallic case; labeled "Palladium."

"Please relinquish your weapons. This is your final warning." The monotonous mechs ordered once more, at the glowing drone. Suddenly, an electrical pulse arched out from the harmless looking drone.

"Please relinq... relinq... relinq..." The mechs began to convulse violently, as the electronic discharge disrupted their systems.

All of a sudden, Legion shot up, from behind his cover. "Calculating firing solution." He stated in an oscillating metallic voice. "Executing." He primed his rifle, and took a single shot. The round careened straight into a hazardous looking crate, placed directly behind the three malfunctioning mechs. There was a sudden burst of flame, as the crate housing the flammable materials, erupted; destroying the three motorized guards.

"Keep moving!" Shepard ordered, as he turned the corner, from around the crates, and laid down some covering fire, allowing his squad mates to advance. He felt a small pulse, as a light blue shimmer washed over his person, indicating his shields had taken a hit.

"They just keep coming!" Tali exclaimed, as she crouched down behind a conveyer system in the center of the warehouse.

LOKI mechs began to pour in from hallway perpendicular to the warehouse, leading from the facility's laboratories. The mechs that were sitting idle within the small warehouse itself also began to activate, standing from their enclosed positions.

Shepard took a quick look around, assessing the situation, and making a mental note of the warehouse's layout, before dodging down behind the same conveyor that was temporarily providing them shelter.

"This is gonna be tougher than I thought..."

* * *

"My god..." Gordon said in shock, as the bathroom's silver door slid open, revealing a horrific massacre. The bathroom's door opened up into the wide open atrium of the research facility's living quarters. There on the floor before them, laid an agglomeration of mangled corpses, and twisted metal. Bodies of researchers, riddled with bullet holes, laying alongside a mass of wrecked synthetics in the same condition.

It wasn't so much shock, that had struck Gordon, as it was sorrow. This sight had unfortunately become all too familiar for him. Seeing dead scientists in the corridors of Black Mesa. Dead security personnel being ground up in the residue processing plant. Dead civilians on the streets of City 17.

Gordon's eyes glared, as he furrowed his brow, pulling his assault rifle off the weapon's dock on his back. Miranda and Jacob both already had their pistols drawn, in preparation.

"We've gotta help those survivors." Gordon affirmed, in a stern voice. He took a step over one of the fallen researchers, being careful not disturb the bodies, and walked into the atrium.

"Hold it right there!" A female's voice yelled out, as an Asari, along with a small group of men clad in black armor, popped up from behind a makeshift defensive mound on the far end of the atrium, opposite Gordon and his team. "Who the hell are you, and how the hell did you get in here?"

There were about twelve of them in total, herself included. Her group was comprised of everything from salarians, to humans, to batarians, including a few whose species would remain a mystery, due to the black helmets they wore. The mound was composed seemingly of anything they could find; broken tables, chairs, a few of the researchers' mattresses, some of the wrecked synthetics, not even the researchers themselves were spared, as a few of their fallen corpses helped fortify it.

Immediately Gordon, Miranda, and Jacob, primed their weapons and aimed them down the atrium, at the Asari and her associates. They, however, found themselves in the disadvantageous position of not having cover. Seeing this, Gordon began to take a rapid look around.

"Lezara..." Jacob uttered, with discontent as he recognized the Asari on the opposite end. "I shoulda known you were behind this. This operation has your stench all over it."

"Taylor? Taylor! Is that really you?" The asari exclaimed in a sarcastic excitement. "Hahaha... Oh, it's been far too long, Taylor. It's about time you caught up with me."

"You two know each other?" Miranda asked, surprised. As the so far benign conversation went on, Gordon was busy taking in the landscape, and had acquired a fairly decent lay of the land.

They stood in the wide open atrium hallway. It was about thirty feet in width from one side to the other, and about fifty feet in length, away from the defensive mound and their potential attackers. There were two glimmering, silver, pillars about five feet away, on either side of them. They were in place, holding up what appeared to be the upper floor of the living quarters.

Directly to his right, was a doorway to a room. Out of the corner of his eye, through a window, he made out what appeared to be a pool table, and what looked like some sort of holographic video game system; telling him this was likely a recreational area. The doorway however, was marked with a dissuading red holographic emblem, indicating it was likely locked. Directly to his left, was the women's restroom, from which they had just emerged. Not his choice of course, but now was not the time to nitpick. And a bit further up, past the restrooms, he noticed what looked like workout equipment, in a small room, through a window. Obviously, some sort of gym.

Scattered chaotically throughout most of the atrium's floor were the mangled corpses, twisted wreckage, and pools of blood of the preceding slaughter. Directly behind the cocky Asari and her armored troop, was a wall. On this wall, above what looked like an air conditioning unit, or air filtration system, were two signs accompanied by arrows. One sign, pointed to the left, and read "Medical Lab". The other pointed right, and read "Administration." As fate would have it, explosives would be out of the question this time, if he didn't want risk harming the science team.

"Her name is Lezara Syndell." Jacob answered Miranda's question, as Gordon turned his attention back to the conversation, making sure not to lower neither his weapon nor his guard. "She's an ex Asari Commando, turned mercenary, turned pirate..."

"I go where the credits are..." Lezara interrupted snidely. "What can I say? My father was a volus."

"It was back in my days with the Corsairs. She had been hitting a lot of Alliance cargo freighters, and the brass sent me, with a special task force to track her down." Jacob continued, as the Asari placed one hand on her hip, casually pointing her rifle upward, seemingly taking a demented pleasure in hearing Jacob recount the events. "We finally thought we had her, when we tracked her to Zygma-12, a small turian space station out in the Terminus Systems. Only it was the other way around, she's the one that had us."

"Is she the one that destroyed it?" Miranda asked, the name Zygma-12 obviously familiar to her, with her weapon still drawn and pointed.

Jacob closed his eyes, nodding remorsefully. "Our contact on the station had sold us out. Set us up... She had rigged the entire station to blow, just to get us. There were three-hundred and forty-six people on that station when it blew... eighty-seven of them human."

"How did you get out?" Miranda asked, never having heard this story, despite the length of time they'd known each other. Obviously, it was something he wasn't too keen on sharing.

"Luck..." Jacob answered, despondently. "I had spotted our contact running frantically through a crowd, towards the docking area. I sent my team to go look for Lezara, while I went to see what had him so spooked. Caught up to him, just as he was about to board his ship. When I caught him, he panicked. Broke down begging, and saying how sorry he was, and that he had no idea she was going to blow the whole station. That's when I heard the first explosion. Didn't think about my team... just got on and took off..."

"Jacob, I..." Miranda replied sorrowfully, as Lezara looked on with a devilish grin on her face. "I'm sorry... I had no idea."

"Nothin' to be sorry about..." Jacob answered scornfully, with a burning rage in his eyes as he stared a hole right through the smiling Asari. "It was my fault. I got careless, and people got killed. I've accepted that. But not a day goes by that I don't think about what I would do to this butcher, if I ever saw her again."

"Aw, that's sho shweet..." Lezara commented sarcastically, at the seething Jacob. "So, you do think about me."

"I'm thinking I'm gonna put your blue ass down for good, that's what I'm thinking..." Jacob yelled out angrily, as he, Gordon, and Miranda took steady aim with their weapons, forcing the asari's compatriots to reciprocate, aiming their rifles accompanied by a rapid series of clacking sounds.

"What's the matter, Taylor?" Lezara demanded, aiming her rifle at him. "Guilty conscious? Trouble sleeping? You know, I had heard you joined Cerberus, but I didn't believe it. Not Hackett's little boyscout. Heh... And you call me a butcher."

"What are you talking about?" Gordon yelled out, his rifle in hand, as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"Oh you don't know?" The asari snickered. "You travel with bad company, pal... Turning people into mindless zombies, experimenting with the Rachni, biotic death camps, torturing children. I could go on and on..."

"Dr. Freeman, I can expla..."

"I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't care!" Gordon shouted out, interrupting Miranda before she could finish. "And our business here isn't with you."

"What are you doing, Freeman?" Jacob beckoned angrily, his pistol aimed directly at Lezera's head. "You can't just turn her lose. Not after everything she's done."

"I understand, Jacob." Gordon assured quietly, not turning his attention away from the direction in which his rifle was pointed. "And I'm sorry. But our main priority is getting those researchers out of here safely."

"Gordon's right." Miranda agreed, turning to Jacob. "The mission has to come first."

Jacob was silent for a moment, as he stood looking down the site of his pistol, as his finger trembled over the trigger. "Fine..." He eventually uttered, loosening his grip slightly, but not lowering his firearm. "We'll do it your way, Freeman."

"Wait... wait... wait..." Lazera began, as she paced around in a small circle behind her defensive mound. "Let me get this straight. You're just letting go? Just like that?"

"That's right..." Gordon affirmed, sternly.

"Well, that's just peachy, but there's a few problems with that." The former Asari Commando answered, cynically. "First off, the entire building is sealed off by blast doors. I'm still trying to figure out, how the hell you got in. Secondly, the whole place is crawling with those damn mechs. The little ones aren't so tough, but those big ones are a pain in the ass. And finally, I make it a point never to trust anyone." She declared, as stopped and aimed her rifle at Gordon. "Especially my enemies."

* * *

The deafening sound of gunfire, and ricocheted shots was all that could be heard, as Tali, Legion, and Shepard ducked down behind the conveyor system, while synthetics poured in from the laboratory area.

"I've got an idea." Shepard yelled out, trying to carry his voice over the sound of the thunderous volley.

"Give me some covering fire." He ordered, as he stood up and bolted over towards a nearby crate, back towards the direction they had come in.

Their sensors having detected an exposed target on the run, the mechs quickly turned to aim their weapons at the sprinting Commander. Just then, Tali and Legion sprang up from behind the conveyor and began firing. Three of the mechs sparked, and collapsed as Shepard vaulted over the crate, and took cover.

As the Commander disappeared behind the crate, the congregation of mechs gathered near the doorway turned their attention once again towards his two squad mates, forcing them to take shelter once more.

Shepard had noticed a tall pillar of steel crates stacked tall directly beside the warehouse entrance, where the mechs were gathering. If he could manage to sneak around, and topple them; he should be able to crush the convened synthetics under them, as well as close off the entrance, preventing more of the robotic guards from coming in.

Stealthily, he crept around, dodging from cover to cover, as the synthetics continued their rain of gunfire down on Tali and Legion's positions.

"Legion..." Tali began, as she loaded a thermal clip into her shotgun's chamber. "Couldn't you talk to them? You're basically an advanced mech, aren't you?"

"Request illogical." Legion replied, in a metallic voice, possessing a tinge of what could be interpreted as sarcasm. "We are a unique mobile platform housing one-thousand one-hundred and eighty-three geth program segments. The Hahne-Kedar manufactured security mech, model designation: LOKI is a non-sentient automated defense resp..."

"I get it, I get it..." Tali interrupted hastily, nodding her head and putting a hand up at Legion. "Keelah, I was only kidding. My people did create you, after all."

"Kidding..." Legion replied, monotonously. "To mock playfully. Tease. To deceive humorously. Consensus... Situation chaotic. Kidding nugatory towards primary mission objective."

"Oi..." Tali groaned, placing her hand over her faceplate, as she shook her head. "I hope whatever John's doing, he does it fast."

"Umph!" Shepard grunted, as he began to push on the tall stacks of metallic crates piled up near the doorway, unbeknownst to the group of mechs on the other side. They didn't budge at first, as he took note of each of the crates in the column labeled "Platinum."

A stone expression of resolve on his face, he backed off momentarily, as he torqued his head around, limbering up. Grabbing his right shoulder, with his left hand, he started rotating it, as he continued to step away. Suddenly, he charged forward, plowing his right shoulder into the crates. He grunted on impact, as he forced himself forward, pushing against the friction his boots made with the ground. Slowly, the tower of resources began to lean forward, preparing to topple onto the unsuspecting mechanical guards.

A mechs programming was basic at best. They were programmed with an objective, and they followed it. A mech wasn't capable of discerning danger. It could calculate hazards, and evaluate situations, but its directives were its main priority. Perhaps the mechs were unaware of the hefty tower of crates about to crash down on them. Or if they were, perhaps self-preservation was not one of their primary directives.

There was thunderous crash, followed by a series of crunching sounds, like a car in a compactor, as the heavy steel cases came tumbling down, onto the synthetic guards. The gunfire was suddenly silenced, as a mechanical arm twitched and sparked from underneath the fallen tower.

Shepard walked out, from behind the former steel tower, smacking his hands together repeatedly, as if dusting them off, with a grin on his face. Tali and Legion had retracted from their place behind the conveyor as the gunfire ceased, and walked over to greet Shepard.

"That should be the last of 'em." Shepard affirmed, as he met up with his two squad mates, the three looking over at the crushed mechs. "If there are any left, they shouldn't be able to get through that."

"Come on." He continued, tiling his head towards a door on the far wall, with a sign above it that read: Central Processing Hub. "Lets get these defenses shut down."

Tali nodded, as she re-mounted her shotgun to its place behind her back, and the three walked towards the door.

Thud...

A loud pounding sound resonated throughout the warehouse, echoing off the walls and vibrating the floor as they walked, causing the three to stop and look around nervously.

Thud... It came again.

"Did you feel that?" Tali beckoned, as a flush look came over her face; although no one would ever know.

Thud... Thud... The pounding grew louder as something approached them, from the now sealed off hallway. Something big.

Shepard turned to face the pile of stacked metallic crates blocking the entrance, as his assault rifle extended in his hands after pulling it off his back once more.

"Tali, Legion." He called out sternly, as the sound grew louder, and closer. "Get down to the System Core and disable it. I'll cover you from up here."

"Acknowledged." Legion responded before bolting away towards the System Core, disappearing as the metallic door slid shut behind him.

The Commander brandished his rifle, fortifying his stance as he took aim towards the blocked doorway, preparing for what he knew was coming. That's when he heard the clacking sound of Tali's shotgun extending, as she took a step forward to come stand beside him.

"Tali, Go!" He shouted out, not taking his eyes away from the entrance. "I'll cover you. Go help Legion."

"Legion can handle hacking the console on his own..." Tali asserted, pointing her shotgun in the same direction. "Besides, you already know I'm not going anywhere..."

Shepard looked over at her briefly, shaking his head with a submissive smile on his face.

Thud... Thud... The sound repeated once more, closer than ever this time, directly on the opposite side of the crates blocking the doorway. And then there was silence.

Shepard's gaze narrowed, as he tuned his acute senses. He could make out what sounded like faint mechanical churning from behind the crates.

"Look out!" The Commander shouted, as he dove against Tali, shoving her to the ground along with him. Just as he did, a large crate directly in front of the warehouse entrance went flying with an incredible amount of force. Tossed forth like someone kicking a soccer ball. The crate scraped along the top of Shepard's helmet as he dove down, pulling Tali along with him, before it slammed against the wall behind them, leaving a massive dent, and contorting the once rectangular crate like clay, causing its mineral contents to spill out.

Tali and Shepard laid huddled on the ground, as they turned their heads up towards the demolished wall and crate.

"Are you alright?" He asked nervously, as he looked her over, making sure he hadn't inadvertently punctured her suit, broken a valve, or cracked her faceplate.

"I'm fine, don't worry." She assured him, as they both staggered up, huddling behind another nearby crate. Shepard's assault rifle scraped along the floor, as he pulled it over to him. Carefully, he proceeded to slowly move his head out, to take a look around the corner.

There at the entrance leading to the laboratories stood a YMIR Model Heavy Assault Mech. Size and girth being the primary differences, it resembled its smaller LOKI counter-parts in outward appearance. It was nearly twice the size of an adult krogan. Beneath a protective metallic chassis covering the forearm, where a hand should be; it possessed twin high capacity mass accelerator assault canons mounted onto its right arm, and a high explosive rocket propelled grenade launcher onto its left.

"Intruders detected." It roared in a deep, angry, monotonous voice, as it stepped into the warehouse, crushing a number of its smaller mech brethren, laid out beneath its feet. "Please put down your weapons. I am authorized to use lethal force."

"Bosh'tet..." Tali uttered, shaking her head, as she and Shepard held their weapons up, crouched down behind a steel crate. "I hope Dr. Freeman is having better luck than we are."


	26. Chapter 26: Battle for ExoGeni Part II

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 26: Battle for ExoGeni (Part II)**

"Ughhh..." One of the black armored pirates moaned agonizingly, as a thermal round pierced his helmet's optic lens, before he dropped to the ground, lifeless.

Gordon swung himself, back out of sight behind the pillar that was giving him temporary protection, as he let a smoking thermal clip fall to floor, off his assault rifle, and slid in a new one. He had taken cover behind the left pillar, the one nearest to the restroom they had used to gain entry to the facility. Inside the restroom itself, Miranda was crouched down at the edge of the door, with her pistol in hand as she waited for a clean shot. On the opposite side, near the recreation room, Jacob had been using the second pillar, as he leaned up against it, pulling the hammer back on his pistol.

"Great..." Lezara uttered to herself, rolling her eyes as she looked down at her fallen associate. A large chunk of his helmet's faceplate smashed in, revealing a bloody mess underneath. "Nice shot!" She yelled out sarcastically. "Bonus points if you think you can hit me next time!"

Rounds ricocheted off the two pillars, barely wide enough to conceal Gordon and Jacob, as the pirates unleashed a torrent of gunfire.

Gordon closed his eyes, and turned away, pain stricken as one of the rounds shattered against the edge of the pillar, sparking inches away from his head, and sending miniscule pieces of searing metal onto side of his face, leaving small burns.

Not retracting himself from the questionable safety of the pillar, he raised his assault rifle over his shoulder, protruding the barrel out from behind it, and pulling the trigger, causing it to fire wildly, and aimlessly. If nothing else perhaps he could land a lucky blow. But there would be no such luck this time.

"They've got us pinned good, Freeman." Jacob called out, shaking his head with his back against the pillar. "If we move, we're caught in the crossfire. And its only a matter of time before they figure to flank us. Any ideas? An explosive maybe?"

"No." Gordon answered assertively. "No explosives. We could hurt the research team."

Suddenly a thought crept into his head, as his eyes fluttered back and forth rapidly, assessing the situation.

"But that does give me an idea." Gordon pulled one of his issued M-14 Grenades off his belt, and examined it in his hands. The small digital readout was blank, as it awaited to be armed; either for remote, impact, or timed detonation. He looked it over carefully, making sure its safety mechanism was engaged, and it was not armed for any of the aforementioned.

"Grenade out!" He shouted with authority. He wanted to make absolutely certain their aggressors heard him, as he turned the corner and flung the discus with force, doing his best to make sure it would land where he wanted it to. His shouting caused a momentary ceasefire, as the pirate squad watched the discus hurdle towards them, bouncing off the wall behind them, and coming to rest on the floor behind their defensive mound.

"Shit, look out!" One of them cried out in a panic, as the nine remaining pirates in black armor all dove and vaulted over the defensive mound, hitting the floor face down, and clutching the back of their heads beneath their hands to avoid the blast radius.

Lezara furrowed her brow, as she looked down at the grenade. It was face up, with a blank display, and it wasn't even magnetized.

"It's a bluff, you idiots!" She yelled out furiously, as she kept her position behind the mound. "Get back here!"

Before they could react, as they shot to their feet, from the wrong side of their defensive mound; Gordon, Miranda, and Jacob suddenly swung out from behind their respective covers and let loose a torrential maelstrom of gunfire. Nearly in unison, the pirate squad turned and ran to vault over the mound once more. Five of them made it, one catching a stray bullet in the shoulder. The other four, however, convulsed violently as their bodies were riddled with bullets; shredding through their ineffective armor, before they finally collapsed onto the floor – dead long before they would ever hit it.

"Morons! Idiots!" Lezara screamed at them in a rage, as Gordon's team took cover once more, likely to reload, and prepare for another attack. "Can't you see they're trying to flush you out!"

"Ahhh! Ughh!" One of her men writhed in pain, as he sat leaning back against the wall, clutching his shoulder, as blood spilled through his fingers, and ran down his armor.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" She demanded, looking down at her wounded human accomplice.

"They... They got me..." He said in a hushed voice, shaking his head, with a pained expression on his face. "I don't know how bad it is."

"Oh no!" She exclaimed with an evil cynicism. "You poor thing. Here... let me take a look."

Slowly, he removed his hand, believing her concern to be genuine. The moment he did, she brought her foot up, and slammed it down hard onto his wound, pressing him back against the wall as he wailed in agony.

"AHHHH!" He screamed, clenching his eyes tightly, and shaking his head from side to side violently, as he grabbed her ankle with his hand, trying desperately to pry it off his wound. "What... What are you doing?"

"You still got one good arm, right?" She demanded, putting extra pressure on his wound, forcing him to scream louder. "RIGHT?"

"Augh... Ahhh... Right..." He eventually responded, through his teeth, as sweat poured down his forehead in droves.

"Then get up, and use it." She ordered, as she pulled her foot of his wound, causing him to take gasps of deep breaths and almost fall forward. Nearly in tears, he trembled as he staggered to his feet.

"I grow tired of this..." Lezara affirmed angrily, as she turned back around to face the twin pillars. Just then, a shimmering blue glow overtook her entire body, as she put her rifle away and let her hands drop to her side. Her pupils disappeared, as an intense white light radiated from them.

Suddenly, Gordon popped out from behind the pillar once more, looking to take another shot, and hopefully put a few more aggressors out of commission. Seeing this, Lezara threw a hand up in Gordon's direction and unleashed a torrential wave of biotic force.

Before he pulled the trigger, he was shocked as his over confidence was greeted with some sort of energy tidal wave barreling towards him at a high velocity.

Not waiting to question what this hazardous looking wave of energy was, coming at him. He immediately took shelter once again, behind his befriended pillar, as the pulse passed by, accompanied by an immense gust of wind, shattering every window in the atrium area as it pushed by.

The force of the biotic wave was strong enough that it careened hard against the pillar, shaking it violently. The vibration nearly rattled the teeth out of Gordon's skull as it slammed him forward, against the floor.

"Uhh..." Gordon groaned, as he laid on his stomach, rubbing the back of his head and trying to get his bearings back. "What was that?" He questioned in bewilderment, staggering to his knees as quickly as he could.

"Are you alright?" Miranda asked, as he stood up, standing behind the pillar once more, but making sure to keep a few inches between him and it this time.

Still rubbing the back of his head, he turned to her and nodded reassuringly.

"I forgot to mention." Jacob added, bowing his head and shaking it. "She's also a powerful biotic.

* * *

"Legion!" Shepard called out, with his hand pressed to the side of his helmet, as he and Tali crouched down behind a steel container, while the gargantuan mech's footsteps pounded the ground as it searched for them. "What the hell's taking so long?"

"Attempting to bypass firewalls and override security lockouts." Legion's robotic voice answered, over Shepard's radio. "Decryption is proving difficult. We are tasked to capacity."

Shepard sighed, and shook his head in frustration. "Well, work as quickly as you can." He ordered, before closing the communication channel.

"Thermal scanning initiated." The massive mech declared to itself, as its optic sensors swept the area. Suddenly, its vision turned into a spectrum of bright reds and dull blues, as it engaged thermal scanning. In a far off corner, it detected an anomaly: Two bright red masses contrasting with their dark blue surroundings, behind a steel container.

"Alright." The Commander spoke out, looking over at Tali and gripping his rifle tight. "Here's what we'll do. I'll flank left, and try to get its attention. When it tr..."

The Commander's instructions were abruptly interrupted as a rapid battery of high capacity thermal slugs began firing in their direction, slowly tearing away at the container protecting them, as if it were made of cardboard.

Instinctively, both of them took off, in opposite directions, as the thermal slugs sliced through container. Tali took cover behind another container, near the edge of the wall, inadvertently cornering herself. While Shepard vaulted back over the conveyor system, that had sheltered them before.

"Now I wish I'd saved the Cain..." The Commander thought to himself, as he primed his rifle, expecting the monstrous machine to begin firing on him again at any second.

All of a sudden, he heard the expected gunfire, but it wasn't raining down in his direction. He stood up to see the YMIR unloading towards the corner that Tali had taken refuge in.

"Tali!" He shouted out, unable to see whether or not she was hurt, or even still alive. A sinking feeling fell into the pit of his stomach, as time seemed to slow down around him.

Bullets ricocheted off the YMIR's metallic chassis as Shepard began firing wildly at it, hoping desperately to grab its attention.

"I'm okay!" Tali's voice came in over his helmet's radio, causing him to let out a deep sigh of relieved despair. "But he's tearing through this box pretty fast."

"Hey, Hey! Over here!" He yelled out, jumping over the conveyor belt, and intrepidly walking towards the mech, firing all the while.

The robotic colossus ceased fire, and turned to face Shepard, who had a burning rage gleaming in his eyes, beneath his visor.

A series of mechanical sounds resonated, as the mech reloaded its assault cannon, and prepared to fire at Shepard, who stood no more than ten feet away from it, with nothing between the two.

"I've had just about enough of this." Shepard asserted confidently. Unexpectedly, he turned his rifle upward and began firing. He aimed at a small clamp suspending a hefty crate directly above the spot the YMIR was standing. Moments before it could bring its arm into firing position, Shepard dove aside, as the clamp snapped and steel crate came slamming down hard onto the mech, leveling it underneath.

Shepard shot up, and rushed over to the corner Tali had been pinned down under. As he hopped over one of the crates to get to her, he saw her slowly begin to emerge. His steps slowed as he saw her get up, and dust herself off, appearing relatively unharmed.

"Are you alri..." He began to ask, when suddenly a loud rumbling caught his attention again, interrupting him.

"You've gotta be kidding..." Shepard uttered, exasperated, as he turned and looked over to see the crate on top of the massive mech, erupt to shred as the YMIR slowly stood up. "Well that's just perfect. Expensive mechs... Cheap crates..."

"You okay?" He called out to Tali, who was now standing firmly on two feet, holding her head.

Tali nodded, as she looked over at him, obviously a little shaken up, but no worse for ware.

"Good." Shepard answered, nodding before he turned back to face the colossal mech, drawing his pistol, and walking away casually. "I'll be right back."

"Malfunction. Catastrophic system damage detected." The mech stated to itself as sparks flew off of its crushed right arm, where its assault canon used to be. "Alternative pacification method required."

"Psst... Hey over here." The YMIR turned its optic sensors to find Commander Shepard standing before him once more, with a pistol in his hand.

Shepard was familiar with how these mechs worked. Their hardened titanium armor, and heavy armaments made them virtually indestructible. But every armor has chinks. Noticing that the mech's assault cannon, its primary weapon, had been destroyed; Shepard knew the only option the mechanical menace would have, would be to rely on its RPG launcher, on the opposite hand.

The damage from a single RPG was considerable. His shields and armor would have little to no chance of resisting a single blast, much less multiple ones. But its firing was slow, and clumsy. Only a single rocket could be fired at a time. And to fire a rocket, first it had to load it into the launching chamber, opening up the chassis around its forearm to do so.

"Target acquired." The mech declared in a robotic voice, as it rotated itself around, to come into firing position.

Slowly it raised its arm, as Shepard raised his pistol bearing hand, and the two aimed at one another.

"Target locked." It stated as its heads-up optic display locked onto Commander Shepard. The protective chassis, covering its forearm, then opened for a window of no more than a second, revealing a cache of rockets inside, as one was pushed up into the firing chamber.

A single round was fired from Shepard's gun, leaving the barrel smoking, before the protective chassis on the YMIR's forearm sealed up once more. Shepard turned, and stormed away as fast as he could. A loud, repeating, and steadily faster beeping noise came, as the mech powered its launcher, preparing to fire.

Out of nowhere, the YMIR exploded into a burst of fire, and scrap metal, as Shepard dove behind one of the many steel crates in the warehouse. Smoldering pieces of debris rained down on him, as he emerged to see two massive mechanical legs standing before him, without a body, before they collapsed onto the floor, twitching.

"Keelah..." Tali stated in shock, as she came to stand beside Shepard, looking on at the smoldering pile of wreckage. "Did you even break a sweat this time?"

* * *

"There's six left!" Jacob called out, as the bullets continued to ricochet off the pillars and walls. "They shouldn't be too tough to take out if we're smart about it. Syndell will be the real problem."

"Jacob." Miranda called out, to the opposite end of the atrium, as she suddenly got an idea. "Set 'em up, knock 'em down!"

A grin came over Jacob's face, followed by an eager, and confident nod. Obviously the two had some sort of understanding between each other.

"Dr. Freeman." She then called out to Gordon, who was standing nearby, behind the pillar. "See if you can put down some covering fire for us."

"What are you gonna do?" He asked, before agreeing.

"You'll see." Miranda assured. "Don't worry, it always works like a charm."

Gordon nodded in response, as he held up his assault rifle, and waited for a momentarily lapse in the onslaught. There was a nearly incessant beat of gunfire against the two pillars, but a window of a second or two always presented itself for that dire need to reload. Gordon tuned his hearing, and turned his head, with his rifle clenched tight as he waited for such a window.

After a few seconds, it came. There was abrupt ceasefire from at least three of the opposing weapons, as they stopped to pull out fresh thermal clips and load them into their firearms. The window was all that Gordon needed, as he swung himself around from behind his pillar and started firing. His sights were on the asari, the obvious ringleader of the operation. However his shots just seemed to almost bounce off her, leaving blue glimmering ripples where ever they struck, like stones being tossed into water.

As ineffective as his attack may have been, it served its purpose; a distraction. A blue glow came over Jacob's hands as he swung himself around from behind his respective protective pillar, and aimed them towards the pirate squad.

"Gravity's one mean mother, huh?" He yelled out sarcastically, channeling a strange force through his hands, towards the aggressors.

"Whoa!" "Hey, what the fuck!" "Ahh! Put me down!" The black armored pirates all shouted out in a panic, as suddenly they were overcome with a shimmering blue radiance, and began to lift off the ground against their wills.

Lezara, still possessed with a glow of her own doing, anchored herself firmly to the ground as she watched her men float up, like a child's stray balloon. They flailed and waved around violently, feverishly... fruitlessly.

Just then, Miranda emerged from behind her cover in the women's facilities, her hands aglow as well. She walked forward with a purpose, as Lezara watched helplessly, but not with any sort of visible concern on her expression. Suddenly, Miranda threw her hands up, unleashing a forceful shock wave, similar to the one Lezara had tried to use on Gordon moments ago. The biotic wave came hurdling towards the men suspended in the air. As they watched it come, some closed there eyes hoping to shy away from the imminent pain. But they realized they were completely at her mercy.

Five, loud, pounding thuds were heard, as the men were slammed forcibly against the back wall. Thuds accompanied by grunts, and groans of agony and pain. As fast as it had come, the blue glow around them dissipated, as they crashed to the ground. Some of them groaned on contact with the floor, but not all. Perhaps the impact with the wall was successful in knocking them unconscious, or perhaps it had snapped their spines. It wasn't important. The important thing was none of them would be getting up anytime soon.

"What in the world..." Gordon asked, in complete astonishment as he watched the men get thrown about like rag dolls. "How... How did you do all that?" He figured what he had seen the blue woman do was simply an inherent ability of her species. But now... He wasn't sure what to think.

"I'll explain later." Jacob assured, not taking his eyes off Lezara. "Come on."

Gordon, Miranda, and Jacob slowly emerged from their cover, and cautiously began to descend on Lezara's position, their weapons drawn and aimed steadily. Lezara had her back to them, she heard them coming, but it didn't matter. She looked down, shaking her head with her arms crossed, as she looked over the contorted bodies of her lackeys. A deep sense of regret suddenly washed over her. Regret for hiring worthless, inexperienced, gutter trash mercenary rejects off of street corners in the slums of the galaxy.

"Good help is so hard to find..." Lezara said aloud, shaking her head as Gordon's team approached her.

"It's over Lezara..." Jacob asserted sternly, as they walked up to her, and stopped a few feet away from her mound. "We're taking you in."

Lezara shook her head, as she let out a long drawn out sigh. "Very well..." She replied, bowing her head in defeat. "If that's how it must be."

Just then, out of nowhere her brilliant blue glow reappeared dramatically, as her body suddenly lifted off the ground, radiating a powerful explosion of pure biotic energy in all directions. The shock wave threw the three backwards, knocking them onto the floor, and stunning them.

"Of course, I didn't say I would make it easy." She scorned angrily, with an evil glow in her eyes.

Gordon immediately scrambled to his feet, followed swiftly by Miranda and Jacob, a blinding light now radiating from the spot Lezara was standing in.

Suddenly, the materials making up the makeshift cover that Lezara and her team had been using floated up into the air, and began to orbit around her. Miranda glared angrily, as a blue glow overcame her body, a glowing rage identical to the one that had overcome the asari.

"Get to cover!" She demanded, as the two glowing entities stared each other down. "I can handle this bitch."

Gordon stood in awe, speechless with his mouth agape as he tried to make sense of what was going on before him. He watched as two brilliant blue burning beacons of radiance stood staring each other down. Just when he figured he had seen everything this futuristic reality had to throw at him, something newer, and stranger would present itself.

Suddenly, a metallic desk revolving around the asari shot out, on a collision course with the three. It was launched with the momentum of a ballistic projectile as it hurdled towards them. Miranda reeled her hand back, channeling an immense amount of energy directly into her palm. Just as the desk was inches away from her, she thrust her hand forward, releasing the focused energy at the oncoming desk. The ground trembled as the desk was torn asunder like tissue paper before them, raining shards of steel and splinters of wood around the atrium.

"Go!" Miranda turned, and ordered with a high sense of urgency.

"Come on, Freeman." Jacob shouted, grabbing Gordon's shoulder plate and pulling.

"No, wait..." Gordon rebutted as he was reluctantly dragged away. "Stop, we have to help her."

Jacob dragged Gordon backwards, pulling at his shoulder plate, as he guided him into the small nearby gym entrance, before Gordon finally turned and followed Jacob of his own volition.

"You wanna try and help her, be my guest." Jacob warned, as the two retreated to the shelter of the dim lit gym. Another burst of energy flooded through the atrium, sending a powerful gust of wind into the room, and shaking the walls. "But there isn't much either of us can do right now, Miranda has to try and handle it now. You go out there, you're likely to get cut in half."

"What the hell's going on?" Gordon demanded, angrily. "What is all this?"

"No one's told you about biotics?" Jacob questioned, a bit surprised.

"Biotics?" Gordon stated, questioningly. "I've heard it mentioned by some of the ship's computer files... Something about Element Zero nodules in the tissue... Ability to manipulate energy and mass effect fields...?" Gordon responded, as he turned to take a look outside, concerned for Miranda's safety.

"Right." Jacob acknowledged, nodding his head. "That's exactly what it is. Me and Miranda are biotics. That's what you see happening right now."

"Well, we can't just stay here. We have to help her." Gordon asserted, turning to face Jacob with a determined look on his face. "What about you? You say you can do it too."

"Yeah, I can." He replied, a forlorn expression on his face. "But I'm no where near as powerful as Miranda. I'm more of a combat specialist than anything else. Sorry Freeman, we gotta let her try and handle this one."

* * *

"Shepard Commander." Legion's voice came in over Shepard's radio as he and Tali were already making their way down the stairway towards him.

"We're here Legion." Shepard called out, not needing to utilize his radio, and causing Legion to turn around from a large console terminal he had been working at. "What's the status on those defense systems?"

"Facility defenses successfully disabled." Legion informed. "Mechanized patrols have been nullified, and all security blast doors have been retracted."

"Alright, good work." Shepard commended, sticking his fingers under his helmet's visor in order to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "I'd better check in with Dr. Freeman's unit."

"Shepard to extraction team." He called out, pressing his hand to the side of his helmet. "Status report."

He waited a few seconds for a response, but got nothing but silence.

"Extraction team, check in." He ordered once more. "Dr. Freeman, can you hear me?"

He released his communicator once more, to give his team a chance to answer. Suddenly, a loud crack of static resounded through his communicator, hurting his ears, and causing him to clench his eyes for a second.

"Yeah, this is Gordon." Freeman's voice replied, after the burst of static. "We ran into those pirates. Most of 'em are down, but one of them is being really problematic. We haven't been able to make it to the research team yet."

"It sounds like they could use some help." Tali suggested, clearly hearing concern in Gordon's voice. Shepard looked over at her, nodding in agreement.

"Just hang on, Dr. Freeman." The Commander directed, speaking into his helmet's receiver again. "We're headed to your position."

* * *

"You're pretty strong, bitch." Lezara yelled out, as she let forth a concentrated orb of energy towards Miranda. "For a human, that is."

"Thanks." Miranda replied sarcastically, as she put her hands out in front of her, forming a radiant blue shield around her, absorbing Lezara's orb. "It's how I was engineered."

Miranda threw her hand towards a nearby reclining seat, laying scattered among the other debris in the atrium. It lifted off the ground, as it was enveloped in a scintillating blue shine. Releasing a pulse of force from her palms, the seat suddenly cut through the air, hurdling towards Lezara, as she simply side stepped it to avoid it.

"Hmph..." Lezara scoffed at the ineffective attack. "Let's see if you were engineered to withstand this!" Lezara's eyes pulsated brightly, as she raised her hands once again, and pointed them at Miranda. Suddenly, Miranda's feet lifted off the ground, as she felt as if she was being ripped apart from the inside out.

"AHHHH!" Miranda screamed in agony, feeling as though her flesh was being torn apart.

"Miranda!" Gordon yelled out. He took a rapid look around, as sweat began to roll down his brow.

"Shit..." Jacob expressed, drawing his pistol, as Gordon drew his gravity gun.

"Biotics..." Gordon uttered angrily, with his gravity gun in hand. "We'll see about this..."

"Aw, what's the matter?" The asari questioned sacrastically, a sinister look in her glowing eyes, as Miranda writhed in pain, her arms spread wide apart, as she was slowly being crucified. "Does it hurt?"

"Let her go!" Gordon demanded, as he rushed out of the small gym, carrying something in his hands. When Lezara watched him come out, as best as she could tell, he looked like he was holding one of the large exercise dumbbells, although she couldn't make out his hands gripping it anywhere.

"Or what?" The asari beckoned confidently. No sooner had she asked, than she heard some sort of electric jolt, and watched as the dumbbell came flying directly at her at an incredibly high rate of speed.

Lezara immediately released Miranda from her biotic grip, in a desperate attempt to quickly shield herself from the impending impact. As she began to encase herself in a biotic shield, the dumbbell suddenly found its mark, its bar slamming across her chest, jerking her backwards, causing her to plow against the rear wall hard, and drop down.

"Is she okay?" Gordon beckoned pleadingly, remounting the gravity gun onto his back, and rushing over to the fallen Miranda.

"She's alright." Jacob confirmed. He was already kneeling by her side, checking for a pulse and any possible injuries. "She's unconscious, but alright. The strain was too much for her."

Gordon breathed a heavy sigh of relief, as he and Jacob convened over Miranda, unaware that the ex Asari Commando was already beginning to stir. Dragging herself on all fours staggeringly to one of her men's nearby assault rifles, coughing and gasping.

"She gave it her best shot, but Lezara was just too strong..." Jacob continued, confident that the threat had been dealt with.

Suddenly, Gordon heard what sounded like a piece of metal being scraped along the floor, coming from behind him, where the powerful asari had made her stand. Slowly turning to confirm his suspicions, he found Lezara pulling an assault rifle towards her, using it for leverage to pull herself to her feet.

A look of blustering rage burned on her expression, as a lavender trickle of blood flowed down her chin, from her mouth.

"Watch out!" Gordon exclaimed. As Lezara raised the assault rifle, Gordon bolted towards her, placing himself directly between the asari and the two Cerberus operatives. Just as she pulled the trigger, Gordon swung his arms out in front of him, placing his armored forearms in front of his face, using them to shield himself from the volley.

A dim blue energy field gleamed over him, contouring perfectly to the outline of his body, as a barrage of thermal rounds collided with his kinetic barriers. Each bullet leaving a small ripple in his shields, as it was deflected. Her aim was precise, placing every round on his person, as his shields withstood the abuse. That's when he noticed a small blue bar on his armor's wrist display showing a gauge labeled "shields" depleting rapidly.

As the gauge dwindled dangerously low, coming to read 4% he noticed the rounds suddenly stopped. Reluctantly, Gordon began to separate his locked forearms to try and uncover the reason she had ceased.

"Argh!" Lezara griped furiously, as she pulled back on the trigger repeatedly, achieving no effect, before tossing the ammo depleted assault rifle aside, in a fit of anger.

"Thanks, Freeman." Jacob said gratefully, as he came to stand beside Gordon, his pistol drawn once more. "Lets finish the bitch."

"Finish me?" She shouted in a rage, a burning indignation scorched onto her expression. Suddenly, a flash of light, a surge of energy. At a moments notice, her eyes burned once again with the same brilliant glow, as her entire body became a conduit of biotic energy. A massive pulse shot out from her, sending a powerful shock wave in all directions as Gordon and Jacob closed in on her.

Gordon immediately shielded his eyes at the blinding light. All of a sudden, he felt as though he had been hit by a freight train, as the massive pulse careened into his body, sending both him and Jacob flying back, neither of them prepared for her – mistakenly assuming whatever fight she had left, had been completely knocked out of her.

Jacob slammed, back first, against the pillar that had so faithfully been providing him cover moments ago. "Ugh..." He grunted, with a cough on impact, as his head whip lashed backwards, slamming hard against the steel pillar, before dropping down motionless, face first onto the floor.

Gordon was thrown between the two pillars, tossed further back, sliding across the floor as he landed on it, before coming to a rest on a pair of corpses belonging to some of the dead researchers.

Lezara wiped the blood away from her chin with her fingers, as she felt something warm running down her jaw, and noticing the taste of blood for the first time. She moved her hand away, noticing her lavender blood smeared onto her fingers, before turning her head and spitting out a large globule of it onto the floor angrily. "I'm just getting started..."

Gordon's ears were ringing, and all he could see was blurry blobs in the distance, as he sat up and feverishly tried to scramble to his feet. The ringing slowly faded, as his vision began to clear up. Before making it to his feet, he reached back, pulling out his shotgun, having lost his assault rifle as he was thrown back.

"Come on, whelp!" Gordon heard, as the sinister blue woman came into focus, at the opposite end of the atrium. "Get up! Give me your best shot."

From one knee, Gordon stood up, shotgun in hand and a resolute expression on his face. The room was spinning around him, as he wobbled on spaghetti legs. He took one quick look around. Miranda was still resting comfortably from her battle, but he didn't hear any sign of Jacob. That's when he saw him, or his arm anyway. Up ahead, the pillar on the right hand side that had been granting him cover was concealing most of Jacob's body from Gordon's point of view. It was impossible to tell from where he stood whether or not harm had come to the young Cerberus Operative.

Gordon squeezed his shotgun tightly, a familiar jade fire burning in his eyes as he slowly walked forward, towards the asari.

"That's it... come on!" She yelled out, a diabolical eagerness in her voice, and the most malicious of intentions in her head. She taunted him over, raising two fingers, and using them to wave Gordon over.

Two clacking sounds came as Gordon cocked the shotgun, and released the safety. He stopped walking, as he came up to the pillar, coming to stand beside the fallen Jacob. Looking down at him, out of the corner of his eyes, he was sure he could see Jacob's chest contracting and expanding as he took breaths. This was enough to give him some relief, but the more pressing matter still loomed before him.

Just then, Gordon turned the barrel of his shotgun towards the asari and began firing. A thunderous fusillade of gunfire came as dozens of small spherical pellets rained against her in droves. She was bathed in a shimmering blue glow, as the rounds simply seemed to disappear, leaving dozens of small glimmering ripples across the barrier surrounding her.

Gordon clenched his lips, as he suddenly stopped firing, realizing this was having absolutely no effect. Without wanting to, he swallowed a large gulp, as a sinking feeling settled into the pit of his stomach, and a chill ran down his spine.

"What?" Lezara questioned with a newfound confidence evident in her voice, being cautious however, not to lower her biotic barrier. "That's it...? That's the best you can do?"

Gordon remained completely silently, his eyes burning with resolve, as he assessed his dire situation. The thought of perhaps using an explosive crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He was not about to endanger innocent lives to try and save his own. Besides, even if he had decided to use one, there was no guarantee that it would be any more effective than what he had already tried.

"Wait..." Lezara continued, a big smile now on her face. "Hang on a second... You're no biotic. Are you? And that means you weren't the one..." She stopped, and looked down towards the heavy piece of workout equipment laying beside her, pointing at it, before turning back to face Gordon. "Hahahaha!" She cackled hysterically, still careful not to lower her barrier. "Oh, this is just too good! It was Taylor, wasn't it? You were only the decoy."

Gordon furrowed his brow angrily, taking a deep breath, as he prepared for what was likely to be his demise. Soldiers, vortigaunts, Combine, gunships, striders... He'd survived it all – but never had he faced something or someone with such a versatile command of energy manipulation. This was one problem he wouldn't be able to solve with mere bullets.

"Hmhmhmhm!" Lezara continued to chuckle under her breath at the pleasant turn of events, before looking out and noticing the despondent expression on Gordon's face, as he clutched his weapon. "Aww... What's the matter?" She questioned sarcastically. "You mad cause I hurt your friends?"

Gordon sneered furiously, clenching his teeth behind his lips, as her snide comments enraged him further.

"Poor little human, so angry and alone..." She continued. "Tell you what. I'm not unreasonable. I'll give you a fighting chance before I crush your skull, and rip you apart. What's that charming phrase you humans are so fond of?" She stopped to think, tapping her chin with one finger, while keeping the barrier around her in tact, obviously toying with her prey. "Oh yes, I remember. I'll give you three strikes 'til you're out. Ready?"

Gordon took a deep breath, as he began to exhaust ideas in his mind. He couldn't use an explosive, that much he had already concluded. His conventional weaponry seemed to be having no effect whatsoever. And he couldn't just throw something at her again with his gravity gun, she'd see it coming this time for sure. He'd need to distract her somehow first, but how? He was running out of options, and he found himself in the dubious position of having to play along with this evil alien's sinister little game. Perhaps he would get lucky, and she would slip up or let her guard down. It was worth a shot.

Before waiting for her to give him any sort of clearance or permission to start, he gently loaded a new thermal clip into his shotgun, and pulled the trigger once again. Predictably, the pellets just rippled across her protective barrier, like pebbles tossed into a pond, having absolutely no effect. He tried to make a careful note of the areas in which he saw the ripples appear, hoping to spot some sort of gap, but to no avail.

"Strike one." She asserted, as she crossed her arms, and began to pace around confidently in little circles. "Let me ask you. Have you ever faced an Asari Commando before?" She questioned, turning to face Gordon with a wicked smile on her face. "Few humans have... Fewer live to tell about it."

Gordon swung the shotgun behind his back, remounting it into place, and pulling out his issued M-98 Widow sniper rifle. If a weapon with this much force and penetrating power was not enough to break through, at this close range... nothing would.

She stopped pacing, and looked directly at him, her eyes unflinching in his scope, as his crosshair came to rest upon her forehead. Swallowing down another gulp, he slowly pulled back on the trigger. The force of the shot torqued his shoulder backwards, as the blast echoed through the atrium.

"Damn..." He whispered to himself, as he lowered his rifle to see the blue woman before him, nonchalantly polishing her fingernails on her clothing, completely unphased by his shot.

"Strike two." She informed casually, before beginning to pace around confidently once again. "You know, I once killed a Justicar? It was a few hundred years back." She continued. Gordon's gaze suddenly widened as he noticed something, allowing an idea to creep into his head. "They say the Justicars will do whatever it takes to get the job done. But even they will hesitate if you've got twenty pounds of thermal explosive strapped to a group of children... It's not good to hesitate around me."

"Goddess, would you hurry it up already?" She demanded, her patience wearing thin, as Gordon raised his rifle and looked down the scope once more. "I wanna hurry up and get outta here. Take the shot. Let me kill you. And we can both get on with our li..." She remarked cynically, interrupting herself, and placing her hand over her mouth, with an insincere look of concern on her face. "Oops... Well, one of us can at least."

Gordon could hear the asari rambling about something, as he peered through the scope, but it was of no consequence to him what she was saying. As she was pacing around, he had noticed a large red canister, with the make of a fire extinguisher, directly below the air conditioning unit he had taken note of earlier. It was enough to give him an idea.

"Would you just fuckin' take the shot!" She screamed at him frustratedly, as she grew tired of waiting. There was no need to ask a third time. The instant she yelled it, Gordon pulled back on the trigger, releasing a cracking echo throughout the atrium, and jerking Gordon's shoulder backwards.

"Heh..." She chuckled confidently, noticing that he had missed, as no ripple appeared on her barrier.

"Strike thr..." She was suddenly interrupted as she heard a strange hissing sound coming from behind her. "What the?"

She turned to find the source of the strange sound. As she turned, she was confronted by a sudden eruption, as the fire extinguisher burst into a white cloud of foam and mist. The impact was enough to knock Lezara off her feet, but little else.

The desired effect being achieved, he rapidly replaced his sniper rifle, pulling out his gravity gun in turn.

"Ah, you asshole!" Lezara shouted out furiously, as she stood up. She was almost completely covered from head to toe in white foam. Particularly on her face, and upper body. She popped up, wiping the foam away from her face and eyes, before her hands lit up with the familiar blue energy, as she prepared to channel something terrible towards him. "You'll fucking pay for that!"

She noticed Gordon pointing a strange type of weapon in her direction, a weapon the likes of which she hadn't seen before. It didn't matter – it didn't seem to be doing anything else other than letting out a strange hum, as a small electrical current pulsated from its tip.

She raised her hands up, as a vivid blue orb began to manifest itself in her palms. Suddenly, she heard something from behind her again. It was a strange sound, like steel being pried off of a surface forcibly.

His finger still pressed tightly on the gravity gun trigger, he started turning all the newfound dials that Dr. Solus had installed, when he upgraded the gravity gun, to their highest capacities. It hummed loudly, and vibrated in his hand, as it began to extricate its target.

"What... the... fuck..." Her curiosity getting the better of her, Luzera furrowed her brow, turning once more to evaluate just what was causing this disturbance. She turned only to find the inactive air conditioning unit mounted on the wall, being torn out, as it finally ripped away, plowing into her face on its way to Gordon's Zero Point Energy Manipulator.

The heavy ventilated unit glided over to Gordon, coming to stop inches before him, completely weightless, as he held it with the gravity gun.

"Prick!" She screamed out, in a raging fury, surprising Gordon as he watched her stagger to her feet yet again. Wobbling, struggling to stand, she looked up to find herself greeted one last time with the same air conditioning unit flying straight towards her face. Her eyes grew wide for a moment. A loud crash. A sharp pain. The sound of something cracking within. And then... Darkness.


	27. Chapter 27: The Siege

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 27: The Siege**

A child accompanies his father, as he sets out for his first hunt. His red eyes gleam with anticipation, and ambition, eager to gain the wisdom passed down through generations. He rushes along side, his feet scraping the grit on the floor as he walks.

"Raluam." His father whispers, as he puts a hand out in front of his son, stopping him in his tracks. Their hunting hound seems to have spotted something. It buzzes excitedly, its multiple eyes focuses on its prey.

It wasn't a conventional hunting dog, though much if its behavior mimicked that of one. Its body was smooth and shiny. It was a dull yellowish green color, marked with flamboyant blue stripes across its back, resembling the markings of a tiger. It seemed to lack most of the usual sensory organs, no visible nose, or ears present, and only a small mouth on its underside. What it lacked in other sensory organs however, it more than made up for with its eyes; possessing no less than a dozen, making up the majority of what could be called its face. It was a tripedal creature, walking only on three legs. Two in the front, and one muscular limb at its rear.

"Charum saulg urgreg." He whispers to his child once again, passing the teachings of generations down in his own native tongue. "Bel'ek ba galla ligra ma."

Suddenly, their houndeye sprints forward onto a small mound of loose soil. Father vortiguant goes down on one knee, his arm around his child as he points at their hunting hound and tells him to observe.

The houndeye lets forth a sudden, high-pitched, screeching howl, as its body begins to vibrate and the blue markings on its back illuminate brightly. Out of nowhere, it releases a small, but powerful shock wave of energy over the mound. As it does so, five small creatures claw their way out, from below the soil, and begin to scurry around in a daze – completely disoriented.

"Chaulm!" The father vortigaunt exclaims. Standing up, a blinding green glow overtakes his hands, as he discharges an immense jolt of energy, striking three of the scurrying headcrabs dead. He places his hand on his sons back, point at the two remaining headcrabs - their disorientation slowly starting to fade. The young vortigaunt raises his hands, a faint glow begins to radiate from his palms as he closes his eyes and hopes for the best. A small green lighting strike surges forward abruptly, striking only the land.

"Berlg gal urlmek. Callag Gua dureg na gilla ma." He instructs his son, shaking his head. "You must keep your eyes open." He is likely saying. "Focus on your target, and feel the vortessence as it flows through you."

The young vort raises his hands once more, as the two remaining headcrabs slowly begin to burrow back down underground. The two headcrabs hiss in pain, as a green burst of light seals their fates.

"Raulm!" The father vortigaunt exclaims proudly, going back down on one knee to embrace the little one. "Oralg! Oralg!" The young vortigaunt cheers happily. "I did it! I did it!"

The two turn, and walk over to their fallen prey. A good meal will be had tonight. They begin to gather the headcrabs, a few of which still smoking; their flesh browned from the scorch of the vortigaunt's strike. Crouching down over the dead headcrabs, the father begins tying them together carefully, in preparations to return home.

Just then, the ground begins to tremble. It's subtle at first, a small vibration, but the trembling grows fierce as a piercing roar cuts through the air. This is like nothing the vortigaunt had ever felt before. It was not antlion activity, and it didn't seem to be coming from below the surface.

"Guarag, bueg!" The young vortigaunt exclaims, tugging at his fathers hand and pointing up into the sky. A malevolent shadow creeps in over them, as he turns to look up. There, blackening the green skies over the Planet Xen, a fleet of massive ships hovers overhead.

Without a second thought, he turns to his child, sweeping him up in his arms. He starts to run as fast as he can back to their home, as the ships begin their descent onto the planet's surface.

"Chaurrrrrrmmm!" He hears a howl in the distance from one of his fellow vortigaunts. "Quel Arrrrrrrrrgggl!" He responds with a high-pitched howl, as he continues running. "They are landing."

One by one, the massive armada of rocky ships begin to touch down on the long flat stretches of land just outside the vortigaunt's largest village. There are dozens... perhaps hundreds. Although their outward appearance is rather similar, no two are exactly alike. There is no conformity, no design to these ships. They are asteroids with thruster engines. The green skinned inhabitants of Xen, turn and run in a panic, as the ship doors slide open, and a flood of malice and evil intent pours out.

They are horrendous looking creatures, snarling and hissing as they step off the ships in droves. They bear sharp fangs, and their skin is slick, and slimy. Their eyes are beady, and cold – completely void of any compassion or emotion. "We kill now!" One of serpentine faced beings exclaims ruthlessly.

"Goorralm!" A vortigaunt clad in shackles, shouts out to his people, directing them back into the large village. Suddenly, he hears a strange sound in the distance. A sound reminiscent of thunder, but much shorter, and in incredibly rapid intervals. As his people begin to pour into the village from their hunts, gathers, or hikes – a sight of lightning suddenly accompanies the thunder. As the vortigaunts rush into the village seeking shelter, a few of them collapse to the floor... lifeless.

"Master say kill them all!" A harsh raspy voice yells out. Suddenly, the fleeing vorts turn, and release a violent torrent of strikes against their attackers. Many convulse violently, before dropping to the ground dead. But there are too many of them. As suddenly as they had come, they poured out of their ships and began a massive assault strike on the unsuspecting indigenous race.

As he watches his people fight valiantly against the vorcha horde, who have now entered their once peaceful village, the shackled vortigaunt turns and rushes over to a massive steel door, carved into a canyon wall in the distance. He can hear a volley of gunfire, as his brethren are gunned down all around him, but not without retaliation. Flashes of brilliant green light erupt, as the vortigaunts unleash a maelstrom of precision lightning attacks, but there are simply too many.

Just then, a band of vortigaunts appear atop the canyon wall, armed with some sort of strange pods. They begin hurling the pods down into the crowds of the vorcha, causing them to erupt into puffs of mist and liquid.

"Arg! What this?" One of the vile creatures yells out, before aiming his rifle up towards the barraging vorts, preparing to fire. Suddenly, the ground begins to tremble. The vibration grows louder as something seems to be getting closer to them, coming from beneath the planet's surface.

Out of nowhere, green insect-like creatures appear from underground, attracted to the alluring odor of the pheropods. They pour out from their burrows in droves, attacking the unsuspecting vorcha fiercely. As numerous as the antlions are, the vorcha too, pour in in waves. Steadily advancing into the village interior, as they begin to thin out the antlion swarm.

The volley of gunfire, and the barrage of lightning continues as the vortigaunts struggle gallantly to defend their home world. As women and children rush past the brave defenders, many are gunned down without mercy or remorse. One vortigaunt holds his dying child in his arms, weeping as hell closes in around him; his hunting hound by his side, as the little one's eyes close forever.

"Gaarolm!" His father yells in a rage, tears flowing from his multiple eyes as he stands and turns to face those who claimed his beloved child. Twin streaks of green lighting fire from his hands, striking two of the attackers dead. Quickly, they squeeze on their triggers, and beginning unleashing a violent torrent of gunfire on him, seemingly having no effect. His body is riddled with gunshots, as two more streaks of lighting fire from his palms, claiming two others. His houndeye rushes into the fray, releasing a high pitched screech, before letting loose a powerful shock wave that levels five of the unsuspecting aggressors. The flood of vorcha immediately turn their weapons onto this strange dog-like creature, before turning them back towards the vortigaunt father. He collapses down to one knee, as blackness begins to fade in around him; his body now in shreds from the continuing assault. He looks down, caressing the little one's face one last time. There is no pain now. No suffering. The tears have stopped, and there is only darkness.

"Quel'go Sarag!" One of the natives yells out, waving his people back, pleading for retreat.

Seeing they have lost, the rapidly dwindling vortigaunt forces reluctantly begin to retreat, fleeing their village and leaving their homes behind. Many of which are slaughtered as they turn to run. Howls can be heard in the distance as they commune with one another, coordinating a retreat.

Reaching the large door, Alra extends his hand out to a small crystalline control panel, letting out miniscule jolts of electricity and interfacing with the door controls. Successful in his interaction, the hefty door slides open revealing a number of vortigaunts working inside a large control room.

"Barl'ag arl gal gilli ma!" He demands. They quickly stop what they're doing, and begin to rush out of the room, at the likely evacuation order. As the last of the workers exits the area, Alra stops and begins to interact once again with the door's control panel. It quickly begins to slide shut, sealing itself securely, as he turns to find himself confronted with the vorcha horde – their firearms all aimed directly at the small group of vortigaunts.

Just then, one of the vile, snarling creatures stepped forward towards the vortigaunt leader.

"We are Harbinger." Alra heard a voice resonate, sending a cold chill down his spine. He knew it to be the voice of the beasts. A presence he prayed he would never know. "I am assuming direct control."

The lone vorcha at the head of the group suddenly began to convulse violently, as an eerie glow shone through his eyes, giving the once primitive creature the semblance of the beasts themselves. His eyes aglow, he stepped forward, confronting the shackled vortigaunt.

"The vortessent ones..." It began in a cold, emotionless voice. "Your species knows the futility of your resistance. Yet you struggle against us, in defiance. Open this door, and I will spare your ascendance as I have the rest of these miserable bacterium."

"No! Though these cords you may cut, our resolve is absolute!" Alra yelled with a burning rage, as both he and his brethren fortified their stances, bracing for an inevitable, yet hopeless battle. "We have endured your chaffing bonds for eons. Our lives you may take, but never again our freedom!"

"Prepare them for ascension." Harbinger's embodiment ordered, as lighting began arching out of the vortigaunt's hands. Before they could discharge, a fusillade of gunshots echo through the village, as the vortigaunts are ruthlessly executed before the firing squad. "We will find another way."

As Harbinger's herald turns, and walks away, he parts the sea of vorcha in half, as they split to grant him passage. His vorcha minions remain to gather the corpses of the fallen vortigaunts. Strange devices are carried in, off of the terrestrial looking ships, and brought into the village. They are silver, metallic objects – with a tripod base and a small spike in the center. The fallen vortigaunts are then, systematically laid out onto of each of the devices. Most of them are dead, others are dying, but the same fate awaits them, regardless. As their bodies are dragged on, suddenly the small spike extends, like an antenna. They pierce the vortigaunt's bodies, impaling them straight through, lifting them up off the ground, and slowly beginning to change them into something horrible.

The glowing eyed demon made his way into an opening along the canyon wall. It was a cavernous opening, with a single passageway leading far down into the dim lit depths of the planet. As he proceeds to walked down, further and further, suddenly he is stopped in his tracks.

"They call upon Shepard..." His chilling voice echoes in the darkness, as he is somehow able to sense the surviving vortigaunts making a desperate attempt somewhere, to contact the Commander and the Doctor. "Extinction will await him here."

Continuing on, he finally comes to a clearing at the end of the passage. It was a massive cavernous chamber, housed deep beneath the planet's surface. The chamber was large enough to house at least two Normandy's and still have room to spare. It was a naturally formed cavern, likely forged over eons of geographic erosion. There, in the center of the great chasmal cave, a gargantuan boulder sat, suspended high above a large well, which contained a strange alien device inside. It was a massive fragment of pure Element Zero, suspended over a vortigaunt designed fusion reactor. Throughout the room, a network of alien cords, pipes, and cables connected from the reactor to various points in the ceiling and walls. And high above the colossal crystalline boulder, a metallic, four armed device locked it tightly into place. Atop the center of the device, a tremendous tube extended onto the boulder of Element Zero, from the cave ceiling.

"There is no need for concern, Free Man. Deep within the ground upon which we stand, is the heart of our contrivance. Our world's greatest gift to us, a massive heart of pure vortessent energy."

This was the heart the fallen Alra once spoke of, the gift their planet had bared. This was the immense source of energy, that would be needed to power their weapon. And this, is what Harbinger knew.

"Shepard... Your species has failed. The time of our return is at hand."

* * *

"Commander Shepard, sir." A middle aged man dressed in a decorated System's Alliance uniform stopped to salute the Commander. He had a chiseled jaw, and a jutting chin. A military man through and through. "Lieutenant Jason Reese, Fifth Fleet, Sixty-Third Scout Battalion."

"At ease Lieutenant." Shepard instructed, returning the salute, and giving the officer license to ease his tense stance. "Technically speaking, I'm not with Alliance anymore."

"The brass can say what they want, sir." The eager soldier declared, shaking his head with a spark of admiration in his eyes. "You're an officer in our books."

The Normandy was set down in a large clearing outside of the small ExoGeni research facility, and it's small shuttle had already been loaded back on board. Set down directly beside the Normandy, was a smaller Alliance Frigrate; the SSV Shiloh. Men dressed in standard Alliance crew uniforms moved around back and forth behind Shepard and the Lieutenant as they conversed, carrying multiple body bags onto the Shiloh.

Near the gate to the facility, Dr. Chakwas along with a few of the Alliance medical personnel administered treatment to the surviving researchers, and to Shepard's injured crewmen.

"I trust the families of the victims have been notified of what's happened?" Shepard questioned, as he watched the body bags continue to be transferred onto the Shiloh.

"Yes sir." Lieutenant Reese affirmed. "The bodies of the dead researchers will be delivered back to their homes, on their respective planets. As will the bodies of the pirates... If they have homes or families, that is. Not much else we can do to 'em now." He turned around, shaking his head as he watched the black body bags continually loaded on board.

"That's good to know, Lieutenant." Shepard replied, with a nod. "I'm glad the families of those poor researchers will have that comfort at least, if nothing else."

"Yeah, it's such a tragedy when things like this happen to good people." Reese continued, as he turned to face Shepard once more. "But, if I may say so, Commander. Syndell got exactly what was coming to her. It's likely the last thing she heard, was the sound of her own neck snap... Not the prettiest way to go." He sneered shaking his head.

"Shes responsible for the deaths of countless innocents, and we've been after her for a long time." Reese informed, as Shepard listened intently. "You've done the Alliance and the galaxy a great service here, Commander. Thank you."

"Actually, I had nothing to do with it." Shepard assured, shaking his head as the crew of the Shiloh finished transferring the bodies onto the ship. "By the time I got there, she was already dead. I've got one hell of a team working with me. And if you wanna thank the ones responsible yourself, they're right over there."

Shepard stood aside, turning to point over towards his team. Jacob and Miranda were sitting on a concrete barrier running alongside the facility gate, as Gordon stood beside them. Dr. Chakwas was hovering over the two Cerberus operatives, diagnosing their respective conditions as she took a plethora of scans with her omni-tool. While she did so, Miranda conversed with Gordon, illuminating one of her hands with biotic energy, most likely attempting to elaborate the concept of biotics to the awestruck physicist.

"It looks like they're receiving treatment at the moment, sir." Reese stated respectfully, shrugging his shoulders. "If you wouldn't mind, Commander. Please pass my thanks along."

"Of course, Lieutenant." Shepard replied, turning back to face Reese and nodding with a slight grin, noticing a gentlemen now standing behind the officer, with a data pad in hand and an ExoGeni patch on his chest.

"Again, it was a real honor to meet, sir." Reese continued, saluting a man who he clearly idolized, with the Commander reciprocating the gesture. "You're an inspiration to us all. Thank you." The two shook hands, before the Lieutenant turned and headed back towards the frigate.

The Lieutenant now out of the way, the man that had been patiently standing behind him, slowly approached the Commander. "Commander Shepard?"

"Yes?" Shepard responded apathetically.

"Gregory Hellick, ExoGeni, Human Resources department." He extended a hand to shake the Commander's. He was a young man, in his mid to late twenties. He stood about Shepard's height, with light brown hair, and rounded features, despite being fairly slender. "I've been instructed, by my superiors, to award you with this rather generous amount of monetary compensation, for services rendered unto The ExoGeni Corporation."

He handed the data pad to Shepard, which to the Commander's surprise, did exhibit a rather handsome sum of credits.

"I'll simply need you to sign; here... here... printed name here... date here... and initial here." The abrasive young ExoGeni representative pointed out a number of spots on the data pad with a stylus in his hand, showing him the array of places he was required to sign.

"What is this?" Shepard questioned, furrowing his brow and shaking his head, at the data pad in his hands.

"It's simply a waiver that absolves The ExoGeni Corporation of any legal responsibility for any injury or bodily harm you or your team may have suffered." Hellick informed in a rapid string of wording, reminiscent of the way he was used to hearing Mordin talk. Clearly, he'd done this before. "I'm afraid you must sign it, before I can award you your due compensation."

"Heh..." Shepard snickered under his breath, shaking his head as he returned the data pad unsigned. "Keep your credits. We came here because people needed our help, not to make a profit."

"Very well..." Hellick replied surprised, taking an uneasy deep breath. "In that case, the ExoGeni Corporation offers its sincerest thanks for your assistance. And obviously, this is a matter we'd prefer to remain undisclosed to the public, so your discretion is appreciated."

"Yeah, don't worry..." The Commander replied with a sigh, nodding his head. "I know ExoGeni's got enough problems. Especially after what happened on Feros two years ago."

"Yes... Well..." Hellick continued, assertively. "We are in your debt yet again Commander. Now, if you'll excuse me." The ambitious young representative hurried past the Commander, brushing against his shoulder, as he walked briskly towards the recovering research team, who were being examined by the Alliance medics. Although, Dr. Neira D'Sonlai and the other researchers who had managed to barricade themselves within the medical lab suffered no harm, other than the obvious emotional scarring they would now carry, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"No need to worry about me, doc. I'm fine." Jacob assured, holding an ice pack to the back of his head, as Shepard walked over to them. "Just a bump on the head, that's all."

Dr. Chakwas had just finished examining Miranda, and had now begun scanning Jacob's person with her omni-tool. Though there had been some minor tension in his neck muscles, and on his spine from being slammed backwards into a steel pillar, there appeared to be no lasting damage.

"Well, I do have to make sure of course." Dr. Chakwas replied, as she lowered her arm and dematerialized her omni-tool. "But you're right. You appear to be just fine."

"That's good news." Shepard interjected cheerfully, as he approached his team. "I heard it was a rough ride. How you three holdin' up?"

"Damn good, Shepard." Jacob responded eagerly, standing up from the concrete barrier, still holding the ice pack to the back of his hand. "We finally gave that bitch what she deserved. Well... I guess it wasn't so much us, as it was Freeman." He affirmed, as he turned to face Gordon, pointing a hand towards him, and nodding respectfully. "History was right about you, Gordon. You're one tough son of a bitch."

Gordon grinned with a silent chuckle, and bowed his head, not actually saying anything. Only he would ever know how close he came to having his skull crushed, and being ripped apart, as his asari adversary had so elegantly put it.

"I should've been able to handle her." Miranda added dolefully, shaking her head with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face, causing Gordon to look up at her. "I was engineered to be the best, and I lost..."

"We're a team, Miranda." Shepard reassured confidently. "None of us could've handled this alone. Besides, you're still standing which is... far more than can be said about her. I'd call that a win any day."

"Yeah, the Commander's right." Gordon eventually spoke up, the two now looking at one another. "Besides. What I saw you do in there was incredible. She got lucky, that's all. But you... Well, you were amazing..."

"Oh... Well... Thank you, Dr. Freeman." She responded softly, the scowl on her face, replaced with a familiar warm smile. "That means a lot to me."

The Commander raised an eyebrow, as he looked over at Jacob. Jacob simply closed his eyes, and nodded in response.

"Anyway, I suppose your right." Miranda acknowledged reluctantly, looking back up at Shepard. "I still should have done better, but Dr. Freeman really came through for us."

"That he did, Commander." Jacob asserted, confidently. "I thought we were dead, for sure."

"So tell me, Freeman." Jacob beckoned, looking over at Gordon, still holding the icepack onto his throbbing head. "I gotta know. How did you manage to take Syndell down, anyway?"

"Whew..." Gordon let out an exasperated sigh, along with an uneasy chuckle, as he recollected the events that took place mere hours ago. "Well, it wasn't easy..." He began.

"You're firing me?" A panicked shriek grabbed Shepard's attention, as Gordon started to tell his tale. The Commander looked over to see Gregory Hellick, the young ExoGeni representative, arguing with Dr. D'Sonlai, as the Alliance medics finished administering care.

"Excuse me a sec." Shepard uttered, turning to walk towards the commotion, as the two Cerberus Operatives listened to Gordon's tale, completely enthralled.

"But you can't fire me! Where will I go?" "Madam, please. Compose yourself..." Shepard heard the two arguing back and forth as he approached them.

"Is everything alright, here?" The Commander questioned sternly, approaching the representative and the asari scientist.

"No, I've just been fired..." Neira answered with a trembling voice, clearly fighting to hold back the fluid in her eyes.

"You're firing this woman?" Shepard inquired, as he turned to face Hellick. "Why?"

"Not that it's any of your concern, Commander..." Hellick replied arrogantly. "But if you must know, she is being terminated for gross incompetence."

"What'll I do..." Neira said out loud to herself, clasping her two hands together tightly beneath her chin. "I won't be able to find another career with a blemish like this on my record."

"Gross incompetence?" Shepard demanded angrily, at the sight of the distraught researcher. "What are you talking about? What did she do wrong?"

Hellick let out a long, frustrated sigh and rolled his eyes before speaking. "As I said, not that it's any of your concern... Commander." He began, as Shepard glared at him angrily, balling his hands up into fists. "But she was in charge of this facility. And while under her charge; thirty-two employees ended up dead, dozens of costly mechs ended up destroyed, and that's not mentioning the thousands of dollars worth of property damage that the facility sustained. To be quite honest, she is lucky ExoGeni is not bringing her up on charges."

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Shepard questioned furiously, as he lunged forward, grabbing Hellick by the collar.

"W-What are you doing?" Hellick stuttered to ask, trying hard to hide his intimidation. "Unhand me!"

"Or what?" Shepard demanded, pulling Hellick in closer to his face. "You gonna bring a Spectre up on charges?"

"Uh... no... well I... But..." Hellick stuttered nervously, clearly panicked now.

"This woman is probably the only reason those researchers are still alive." The Commander asserted, pointing at the group of surviving scientists behind D'Sonlai. "If anything, you should be commending her. She risked her own life to save as many people as she could."

"Uhm... well... perhaps I was..." Hellick rambled, as sweat began to pour down his forehead.

"And what about you?" Shepard continued, sternly interrupting Hellick. "You and ExoGeni. Not only do you provide these people with a faulty mech security system. But you don't even bother to check in with the facility, after they've fallen out of contact."

"That's right..." Neira interjected. "I activated the facility's defenses as soon as I knew we were under attack, but they turned on us. The only thing we could do then was hide, and hope someone would come to help us."

"Besides..." Shepard spoke again, the young rep's collar still clutched firmly in his grip. "You think if you fire her, she's going to remain quite about all this? The last thing ExoGeni needs is more bad publicity."

"W-well... Perhaps we've been too hasty..." Hellick responded nervously, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I can see now that Dr. D'Sonlai is clearly a valuable asset to the ExoGeni Corporation... We're very lucky to have her on board."

"No..." Shepard rebutted, with a snide grin on his face. "I think you owe her more than that, now."

"W-W-What more do you want?" Hellick beckoned, pleadingly. Clearly terrified.

"That 'monetary compensation' you were going to give me..." The Commander began to explain. "I think you should award it to Dr. D'Sonlai for her non-disclosure. And for a job well done..."

"What a great idea!" Hellick answered with a forced eagerness, nodding his head feverishly. "That's exactly what I was thinking!"

"Good..." Shepard uttered, with a grin as he released Hellick with a light shove.

"Yes..." Hellick stated, nervously straightening out his uniform. "I'm glad we were able to come to a mutually beneficial decision."

"As am I." Shepard assured, crossing his arms, as a huge smile overcame Dr. D'Sonlai's expression.

"Well..." Hellick continued. "I must be getting back to headquarters... A construction crew will be along shortly, to make the necessary repairs to the facility. As will a reliable replacement security force."

"Commander... Dr. D'Sonlai..." He nodded at them, excusing himself before he turned and walked briskly away, as fast as his legs would take him without running, back towards the Shiloh.

"Commander, I..." The asari researcher came up to Shepard, nearly at a loss for words. "I can't thank you enough... First you and your team save our lives... And now you've saved my career. How can I ever repay you?"

"No thanks are necessary, Doctor. It was a pleasure to he..." Unexpectedly, the Commander suddenly stopped silent, staring out into space, as a vision gripped at his mind.

"All I know is; when I came to, Lezara's neck was broken, and she was covered in something white and foamy..." Jacob said, shaking his head with a grin, as the three chuckled together.

Suddenly, whatever had gripped the Commander had now gripped Gordon, as he stopped and stared blankly into space, horrific visions cycling in his head.

"Commander...?" Neira stated questioningly, as Shepard simply stood, with a wide gaze and a blank stare.

"Dr. Freeman?" Miranda questioned as she too noticed Gordon's sudden vegetative condition. She stood up worriedly, and looked over the frozen physicist with a blank expression on his face. She waved her hand in front of his eyes, getting no physical response whatsoever. "What's wrong with him?"

"The Free Man, and The Commander Shepard must heed! We are in distress most dire." They heard a voice calling out to them, as they witnessed the horrifying siege in their minds. Dozens of massive ships, coming out of the sky, perhaps hundreds. Entire voritgaunt families ruthlessly gunned down without mercy. Vortigaunt children laying slain on the ground. Bodies of the fallen impaled on silvery spikes. The ground stained with the blood of hundreds. A single vorcha, standing out among the rest, with demonic yellow eyes. "We are Harbinger."

As the chilling voice came, the two simultaneously snapped out of the trance they had fallen into.

"No..." Gordon uttered despondently, placing his hand over his forehead.

"What?" Miranda questioned, as Gordon suddenly snapped back into reality. "What is it?"

"The vortigaunts..." He replied, gulping as he shook his head. "Something terrible has happened."

"Commander... Are you alright?" Neira questioned, worriedly as Shepard shook his head trying to get his bearings back.

"No... Excuse me, I have to go." Shepard asserted, turning around without a second thought, and walking away, leaving the asari doctor grateful, but perplexed.

"What? What happened?" Miranda beckoned anxiously, as Shepard walked up beside them. "What are you talking about?"

"Dr. Freeman." Shepard called out, as Gordon looked over at him, a look of dread still etched on his face. "Did you see it?"

"Yeah... I'm guessing you did to?" Gordon replied, questioningly.

Shepard nodded in response, looking down as he took a deep breath. "Alright... Everyone back on board. We're leaving."

"Commander, what's going on?" Miranda beckoned at Freeman and Shepard's sudden strange behavior. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later, Miranda." Shepard asserted, mildly agitated. "Right now, I just need everyone to get back on board."

Baffled and confused, Miranda and Jacob didn't question the order further, they simply turned and headed towards the Normandy, with Gordon alongside.

The Commander let out a loud, sharp whistle, as he walked towards the facility's gate. The whistle managed to grab Tali and Legion's attention, as intended. The two had been going through the piles of destroyed mechs, in the facility's courtyard, salvaging whatever useful components they could find, before ExoGeni would scrap it all. Having gotten their attention, he threw his hand up over his head, waving them over. Seeing him, the two immediately dropped what they were doing, and hurried over.

Shepard climbed the hangar bay ramp, as the remainder of his crew finished piling on board. Tali and Legion began to unload their haul in the cargo bay, as the Commander rushed past them. He pressed his fist against a nearby button, activating the ramp, forcing it to retract. Rushing into the ship's elevator, he pressed the button for the command deck, as the Normandy's large hangar bay doors slid shut, followed by the elevator's doors.

"Joker!" The Commander yelled out, as he jogged onto the bridge, causing Joker to swivel around in his chair.

"Hey, Commander." Joker began, cheerfully. "So, everything alright with those resear..."

"I need you to set a course for Xen." Shepard ordered abruptly, interrupting the helmsman. "How fast can you get us there?"

"Xen? Already?" Joker queried, surprised. "I thought we were going to Omega."

"There's been a change of plans. How fast?" Shepard replied, growing impatient.

"Well, I knew you liked those headcrab burgers Commander, but I didn't think..."

"Joker!" Shepard shouted angrily, startling the helmsman, and interrupting him once more. "I need you to do your job right now! How fast can you get us there?"

"Uh..." Joker replied nervously, rapidly swiveling back around in his seat, and manipulating his controls to calculate. "Well... From way out here in Artemis Tau... I'd say..." He was silent for a moment, as his fingers worked as fast as possible. "... About a day and a half, to two days."

"And that's the FASTEST you can get us there?" Shepard beckoned, shaking his head.

"Well, that's standard FTL speed." The helmsman answered.

"There's gotta be some way you can get us there faster, Joker." The Commander declared, crossing his arms as he looked over Joker's shoulder.

"Well..." Joker began, as he continued to manipulate his controls. "If I push her hard, I might be able to get us there in eighteen hours... Only problem is, we could risk burning out the drive core or breaking the hull apart."

"The Normandy's upgrades have made it one of the most structurally sound ships ever created." EDI chimed in from her holographic terminal on the bridge. "However, I still would not recommend putting that kind of strain on the ship's integrity."

"You know this ship better than anyone, Joker." Shepard commented, looking down at the contemplative helmsman. "Can she pull it off?"

Joker was silent for a moment as he looked over the Normandy's controls. The sudden urgency in Shepard's request made him realize this was something of dire importance. He thought about everything he and this ship had already been through; traversing the Omega-4 relay, plowing through a debris field, fending off the Collector ship attack, narrowly escaping the Collector base...

"She'll hold." Joker asserted confidently, as he leaned forward to work the controls again. There was a slight tremble, and a light hum as the Normandy's engines came on, while Joker initiated take off procedures. "She's a tough girl, Commander. And my baby will fly true."

"I know she will, Joker." Shepard replied, nodding and forcing a grin, as the Normandy's landing skids slowly lifted off the ground, and retracted into the ship's hull. "She couldn't be in better hands."

"Put me through over the Normandy's intercom, EDI." He ordered, as he turned to face her holographic projection. "I need to address the crew."


	28. Chapter 28: Before the Storm

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 28: Before the Storm...**

"Alright..." The Commander began with a sigh, as he paced in a small circle at the head of the comm room's briefing table. "I'm sure you're all wondering what's going on."

The interior of the Normandy trembled slightly, as she traversed through the vacuum of space at potentially deadly speeds. The ship's drive core and thruster propulsion systems were never intended to be pushed this hard. But Joker's confidence, and trust in his faithful vessel was enough to give the Commander at least some degree of relief.

Shepard's entire combat squad stood around the table, looking on. Most of them knew something terrible was amiss, judging by the urgency in Shepard's voice when he called for them to convene over the intercom.

"Here's the situation as far as I can tell." Shepard continued, stopping and placing his hands down firmly on the table, as he looked over his combatants. "Sometime, within the last few hours, the vorcha orchestrated a full scale tactical assault on the vortigaunt homeworld of Xen."

"What?" "How do you know?" "When did this happen?" His squad erupted into an array of murmurs as he said it. The crew looked around at one another, a clear look of concern etched on most of their faces, despite their best efforts to hide it.

"Harbinger knows about the vortigaunt's weapon." Shepard continued, putting a hand up to quell the anxious crew members. "They've captured the village that housed the primary control room."

"I guess now we know what the vorcha were mobilizing for..." Garrus uttered, shaking his head. Half of his face was still covered in the protective cast Dr. Chackwas had fabricated for him, though he no longer seemed to be favoring his ribs.

"Stunning development." Mordin added, pressing his fist to his chin as he looked down at the table. "Strategically brilliant. Illusive Man informed you of this?"

"No." Shepard asserted firmly. "The Illusive Man doesn't know anything about this. If he knew about Xen, he'd probably have a Cerberus excavation team mine the place dry within hours."

"Yeah, and you can bet he'd have the cheerleader running the whole damn operation." Jack added snidely, glaring coldly at Miranda.

"I don't report to the Illusive Man anymore!" Miranda rebutted angrily, returning the cold hard gaze. "If I did, he'd already know where Xen was. But you're too pigheaded and stupid to..."

"It doesn't matter!" Shepard shouted over the two women, arguing across the table at one another, silencing them in unison. "None of that matters... What matters is that Harbinger has captured the vortigaunt weapon. He's amassed his forces on Xen, which means he is probably making his last big push. We have to be there to push back!"

The two women scowled in silence. To the surprise of those who noticed; Thane softly massaged the back of Jack's shoulders, as she crossed her arms and sneered, trying to quell her anger. Also to their surprise, it seemed to work.

"Shepard, how do you even know all of this?" Garrus questioned as a few eyebrows were raised, in the room. "Are we in radio contact with them?"

"No." Shepard answered, looking off to the side as he recalled the chilling vision. "Back on Xen, the vortigaunts did something. They imprinted me somehow. Made it so they could communicate with me, the same way they did with Dr. Freeman."

"We saw the whole thing." Gordon added, while releasing a deep sigh. "It was like a dream... A vision. We saw it all as if we were actually there."

"What were those devices the attackers were using, Commander?" Gordon questioned as he turned to Shepard, recalling the tragedy that played in his mind. "Those strange silvery spikes they were impaling the vorts on?"

"Silvery spikes?" Miranda beckoned with a fair bit of alarm in her voice. "They're using dragon's teeth?"

"Yeah..." Shepard affirmed regretfully, nodding at her before turning his attention back to Gordon. "As Miranda said, they're called Dragon's Teeth. Agents of the Reapers use them to change beings into mindless, empty husks."

"Husks?" Gordon replied, questioningly, clasping his chin between his thumb and index finger. "You mean like zombies?" Shepard nodded in response, as the doctor answered his own question. "Well, I suppose some things never change, do they?"

"How in the hell did the Reapers even find the vort's home world?" Jacob questioned angrily, shaking his head with his arms crossed. "Xen is far out on the ass end of nowhere..."

"Well, these Reapers are said to possess some type of mind dominating influence, right?" Gordon answered, beginning to postulate a hypothesis. "Obviously, that means extrasensory capability of some sort. Isn't it possible they were able to hone in on the vort's telepathic link, when they contacted me?"

"The Reaper IFF is still integrated into the Normandy's systems." EDI's voice chimed in, as she began to offer up her own theory, though not actually showing her holographic form. The crews eyes turned upwards, listening as she spoke. "Although, I have conducted multiple checks to assure we are no longer broadcasting any sort of signal – Reaper technology is still far more advanced than anything we could fully comprehend. It is possible we may have transmitted a signal undetectable by my instruments."

"Great..." Jacob sneered sarcastically. "So we led Harbinger straight to 'em."

"We don't know that." Miranda asserted, sternly. "Harbinger could've found Xen in any number of ways."

"The Reapers had already enslaved and repurposed the vortigaunts once before..." Shepard added, waving his hand in front of him with a stone resolve on his face. "Although it wasn't them directly, it's likely they've always known where Xen is. Just like they've probably always known how to get to Earth."

"The Illusive Man was wrong... They've just been biding their time..." The Commander affirmed, leaning forward on the table, hanging his head down a bit. "And if Harbinger chose now to strike, that means hes preparing something big. Especially, if he's amassed his entire indoctrinated army on Xen. It's up to us to take back the vortigaunt home world. We have to save them, and their weapon. It may end up being the only hope we have against such an unrelenting enemy."

"Our course has been set..." Shepard continued, standing up straight and placing his hands behind his back. "ETA is about eighteen hours. I suggest we all make the most of what little time we have. We don't know what awaits us when we get there, or what the Reapers may have planned. But if the past has taught us anything, it's that it won't be easy, and we've all got to be prepared to sacrifice."

The crew looked around at each other, a mixture of pride, resolve, and even fear in their eyes. Many nodded their heads as Shepard's words filled the room. Others stared silently into space, reflecting on the path behind, and the road ahead. One particular krogan, pounded his fists together eagerly at the exhilarating notion of the coming battle.

"Dismissed..."

* * *

Joker released a long, drawn-out sigh as he reclined back in his chair. He lifted his cap off his head with his right hand, and brushed his hair back with the fingers on his left, before placing the cap snugly back on.

"Take the helm EDI, and keep her monitored." He uttered with his eyes closed, and a heavy sense of exasperation in his voice.

"Yes, Mr. Moreau." EDI complied, as her hologram flashed on the bridge. "Are you feeling alright, Jeff? I am detecting elevated stress levels."

Joker was silent for a moment, as he reclined back in his seat. His head was drawn back, and his eyes were pointed up towards the ceiling, as he locked his fingers together over his stomach.

"I've just got that feeling, ya know?" Joker eventually answered, a despondent tone in his voice. "That nervous, queasy, upset stomach feeling you get right before you know the shit storm is about to hit."

"I am incapable of experiencing the sensations you have described." EDI replied. "However, if you are feeling ill, perhaps you should head down to the medical bay."

"Heh..." Joker chuckled uneasily, as he leaned forward once again, examining his controls. "No EDI, I'm not sick. I'm just... I don't really know how to describe it..." He shuttered, as he spoke.

"Worried?" EDI interjected.

"Yeah..." Joker answered, sighing and nodding his head. "I guess that pretty much sums it up."

"I understand, Jeff..." EDI continued, a human-like sympathy in her artificial voice. "I am as well."

There was an eerie tranquility on board the Normandy, despite the trembling hull, and rattling bulkheads. The hours seemed to drag by, as the ship's various crew members made ready for the perils that undoubtedly lay ahead. Each of them had their own unique reasons for setting foot on the Normandy. But none of those reasons mattered anymore. They each knew that in a matter of hours, they would once again be facing the greatest threat the galaxy has ever known. And each of them was willing to die to defeat it.

* * *

The gleaming silver walls of the Starboard Observation Deck flickered with a celestial blue glow, as a lone Justicar sat immersed in deep meditation, in the center of the room. An angelic white light spilled out from her eyes, as a mass of pure energy was silently channeled before her.

Suddenly, her pupils reappeared, as the light quickly fades away. The energy flowing through her hands dissipates, as she brings them down to rest on her knees. Her legs crossed, she sits quietly in the center of the room, a stone expression on her face.

Her eyes begin to wander around the room for a moment, taking note of the stars outside her window, the books on a shelf against the far wall, the elegant furniture adorning her quarters. Despite the amount of time she's already served on board the Normandy, and the amount of time she'd spent engrossed in meditation within this very room; this was actually the first time she really noticed any of it.

As her eyes wandered, she began to think about things. She wasn't attempting to reach any sort of transcendence on a spiritual plane now, she was merely thinking. She thought of the day she forsook all material items, and worldly possessions, in the name of the Justicar code. It was centuries ago, but she could still remember the oath word for word.

She recalled her hunt for a lustrous Ardat-Yakshi. A hunt that one fateful day, brought her to the Nos Astra police station, where she would meet a Spectre whose quest was even greater than her own. A quest that required no less, than her undying, unwavering allegiance. She was still bound to this Spectre, her oath to him even greater than that of the Justicar's.

And she thought of Morinth... Such a vile, brutal, cold-blooded predator. A creature who's lust and ecstasy brought misery, and death to all those seduced by her venomous charms. Still... As horrible and despicable as the acts she committed; it was with a burdened heart, that Samara still managed to feel a great deal of pride in her daughter. For Morinth was the smartest, the bravest, and the most alive of her beloved yet forsaken children. She did what must be done, but it was not done without lament, without sorrow, without pain.

Then came the memory of the assault on the Collector base. A mission that by every law of probability should have resulted in total failure and annihilation. But those on board the Normandy always seemed to find a way around the odds. And now, once again they found themselves tempting the hands of fate. But if not them, then who...?

Samara slowly stood up from the floor, and walked over to her window as streaks of light flashed by outside at incredible speeds. She pressed her hand against the glass, bowed her head and closed her eyes.

"By the code, I will serve him." She began to recite, as a vivid blue glow encased her body. "His choices are my choices... His morals are my morals... His wishes are my code..." As she finished, she opened her eyes and the blow glow around her slowly faded away; her hand still pressed against the glass. "My soul is prepared..."

* * *

A krogan huffed as he paced around restlessly in the Port Cargo Hold. A Krogan Blood Rage brewed within his veins as the etched visions of ancient battles seethed within his mind. Visions of mighy fallen Krogan Warlords slaughtering their enemies, as their corpses piled at their feet.

Warlords who presided at the battles of the ancient Rachni wars. Who led armies of the fiercest of warriors in the Krogan Rebellions. Memories of his own battles, brewed as well. His rite of passage, when he and his krannt not only survived the behemoth Thresher Maw on Tuchanka, but also slew it. A feat that had not come to pass, since Urdnot Wrex himself took the rite.

His blood boiled with anticipation as he remembered the assault on the collector base. Wave after endless wave of feeble, flesh armored, creatures fell as they clashed against his clan's torrent of gunfire.

He continued to pace around, a malicious grin on his face. Suddenly, he stopped. He turned to face the tank, in which he had been bred. The tank that had been his mother, his mentor, his whole life, until the battlemaster released him. Grunt slowly walked up to it, examining it closely, and remembering its teachings.

All of a sudden, he reeled his head back, before thrusting it forward with incredible velocity. The force shattered the glass encasing the tank, and the shards erupted onto the floor.

"Hehe..." He chuckled softly to himself, with an odious grin on his face. "Kredak, Moro, Shiagur, Terg, Wrend, Veeoll... Okeer..." He continued. "I am distilled from the blood of warlords. Grant me a worthy battle. And blood will flow in your names... For I am Krogan."

* * *

Gordon stood in his quarters, peering out of his window at the streaks of light flashing by outside. He held his hands clasped behind his back, as his mind raced on everything from what lay on the road ahead, to everything he left behind.

As he stood contemplating with his eyes flickering back and forth, his sleek metallic door unexpectedly slid open.

"Ms. Lawson." Gordon began cheerfully, with a grin, as he turned to see who had entered his room. "It's a nice surprise to see you here. How are you feeling?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose." Miranda responded, a slight nervousness in her voice, as she slowly walked into the room. "All things considered."

"I'm glad to hear that." Gordon assured, as he turned to walk towards her, letting his arms hang down to his sides. The two now face, to face at arms length from one another. "You really had me worried back at the research facility..."

"Ahem..." Gordon looked down, and away nervously as he cleared his throat. "But, uhm... At any rate, what can I do for you?"

"I just..." Miranda paused for a moment as she began. "I figured I owed you an explanation, Dr. Freeman."

"An explanation?" Gordon questioned, furrowing his brow. "For what? I don't understand."

"For Cerberus..." Miranda answered, with a hefty sigh. "I know that asari back at the facility mentioned some of our... past transgressions."

"Oh..." Gordon nodded, with his eyes shut. "I see."

"There is some truth to what she said." Miranda began to explain. "Cerberus has been known to commit some rather ruthless acts, all in the name of human advancement. And there was a time that I blindly condoned it all. As a species, I felt we were on our own. And it was up to us to assure our own future."

"But..." She continued, as she bowed her head and shook it, clearly guilt ridden. "That was before. My loyalty now lies with Shepard, and with this crew."

As she looked up, to her surprise she spotted Gordon looking back at her with a warm smile on his face.

"I know about Cerberus, Ms. Lawson." He stated, with a nod. He didn't turn to walk away, or seem to harbor any sort of resentment in his voice. "When I woke up here, one of the first things I asked EDI for, was information about the man who had taken me. The 'G-Man' as he was called."

"What did you find?" Miranda questioned, intrigued.

"Nothing, particularly useful..." Gordon shook his head, with a quick sigh. "There wasn't much information, other than he was one of Black Mesa's primary investors."

"Yeah, I didn't think there'd be much." Miranda acknowledged, biting down on her lip "Most of Cerberus' records of that era were lost in the Seven Hours War or the rebellion."

"Right..." Gordon agreed, before continuing on. "Well after that, the next best thing I could do, was to look into the organization that he was a part of. So I did."

"I know about... Well, pretty much everything." He affirmed, shrugging his shoulders.

"And it doesn't bother you?" Miranda questioned, dubiously.

"Well of course it bothers me." Gordon assured, nodding his head. "Many of the things Cerberus has done are... horrible to say the least. But if it wasn't for them, this crew wouldn't exist. And I know what the crew stands for, what they're fighting for. What WE'RE fighting for." Miranda smiled, a deep sense of relief overtaking her, as Gordon continued. "These are good people on this ship. I'm proud to be a part of that. And besides... I'm the last person who should judge anyone."

"What do you mean, Dr. Freeman?" Miranda asked, as she saw him bow his head, with a sudden remorseful expression on his face.

Gordon looked up at her momentarily, before lowering his head once more.

"I've committed my own share of atrocities..." Gordon began, a mild sorrow in his voice. "What I'm known for... What I leave behind... Is a legacy of failure and destruction."

"I have no delusions of heroism over the things I've done." Gordon continued, releasing a long, drawn-out sigh. "I've taken many lives. Innocent lives."

"You mean the Combine?" Miranda questioned, baffled.

"No." Gordon shook his head. "I mean the men at Black Mesa. The soldiers. They were human beings. Men under orders. Men with lives... Families... Loved ones... I know I did what I had to to survive. It was me or them, plain and simple. But it doesn't make it right. Not to mention the fact that the entire resonance cascade was MY fault."

"But you weren't the one who ordered that Eezo sample utilized." Miranda replied, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders.

"No, but I knew better." Gordon continued. "I knew the sample was too unstable, but I used it anyway. I was the new guy, and I wanted to make a good impression on the higher-ups. Guess it worked..." Gordon remarked sarcastically, and let out an uneasy chuckle, while shaking his head.

"No matter how many lives I've managed to save, I'm responsible for the loss of far more. And I live with that. We've all done things we're not proud of. But it's like the Commander said; None of that matters now. Besides..." He looked up at Miranda with a slick smile and a gleam in his eyes. "I trust you."

Miranda returned the look Gordon gave her, smiling back at him sensually. "I'm glad you feel that way. I trust you too, Dr. Freeman." She nodded, as she placed her hand on the side of his shoulder. "And it's unusual for me to trust anyone. I'm used to relying on one but myself."

"So what makes you trust me so readily?" Gordon questioned, still smiling and pleased at this newfound connection of trust between them.

"Hmm... I don't know..." Miranda replied cheerfully, placing a curled finger over her lower lip. "There's just something about you. I suppose after learning about the Seven Hours War and how you led the Earth Rebellions, I feel almost as though I've known you my whole life. You really are a remarkable human being."

"Remarkable?" Gordon scoffed, shaking his head with a grin. "Ms. Lawson, you're the remarkable one. What I saw you do back at that facility. Your strength, your brilliance, those incredible powers you possess. You're nothing short of amazing."

Miranda bowed her head, and looked down at the floor, before turning around and taking a few steps away from Gordon. She crossed her arms before her, like someone huddling for warmth in the cold.

"No..." She remarked, shaking her head. "Everything I am... Is because of what I was engineered to be. The intelligence... The looks... Even my biotics. My father paid for it all. None of it is because of who I am." Gordon approached the despondent Miranda, he reached out as if to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but retracted it before doing so.

"Everything you've done, all of your accomplishments – it's because of your skill, and who you are." She continued, embracing herself in her own arms. "The only thing I can take credit for is my mistakes."

"What you were given doesn't matter..." Gordon answered, furrowing his brow and shaking his head. "What matters is what you do with it. You're the one that makes the choice of how to use your gifts. And you should be proud of what you've done."

Miranda's sorrowful expression slowly faded, as Gordon reassured her.

"Besides." Gordon continued. "You're one of the most courageous, strong willed, able bodied people I've ever met. Engineered or not, I... I can't help but admire you..."

"Oh... Thank you..." Miranda responded, turning back around as an alluring smile came over her face, with one hand on her hip. "Well, perhaps I wouldn't mind if you admire my body."

A slight grin came over Gordon's face, before it was replaced by a sudden look of embarrassment, as he rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"Uh... Forgive me..." Gordon answered nervously, avoiding her eyes, as he turned away from her. "I meant no disrespect." He turned and walked to peer out of his window once more.

Miranda raised an eyebrow, with a look of shame, frustration, and confusion all etched on her face in one. She took a step to rush out of the room, before turning back around to face Gordon.

"Dr. Freeman... Gordon..." She began sternly, as she approached him. "I've seen the way you look at me. The way you held me, back at the facility, when I nearly fell. I need to know, has it all just been my imagination?"

Aside from a quick sigh, Gordon was silent for a moment as he pressed his forehead against the glass, while peering out that the stars streaking by. "No..." He eventually answered. "You haven't imagined it."

"Then what is it?" Miranda demanded pleadingly, as she approached him, placing her left hand on the back of his right shoulder. "Gordon, what are you afraid of?"

Without answering, Gordon closed his eyes as his mind began to run rampant with the memories that haunted him.

"Gordon, something's snooping around out here."

"AHH! Oh my god! Gordon, help!"

"The... Alyx Vance. Her condition is grave. She clings to the margins."

"Oh Doctor Freeeeeeeman..."

"Come along now, Dr. Freeman. That time has... come again."

"I'm afraid of it all happening again." He uttered softly, his voice drowned in lament. "...I'm sorry."

Miranda drew her hand back from his shoulder. She opened her mouth as if to say something more, but didn't. Instead she merely shook her head regretfully, and turned to walk away. The room's silver door slid open as she walked out, then slid shut behind her.

* * *

Dr. Mordin Solus worked feverishly, as he peered into a holoscope on his work table. Beside him, a small centrifuge spun an array of test tubes at an incredible velocity. Nearby, a terminal ran a number of tests and took various readings on multiple samples and specimens.

Only he ever knew the details of his experiments. Where there was knowledge to be found, there was always an experiment to be had. Everything from the research on curing the genophage he had recovered from his misguided, former assistant back on Tuchanka. To examining and trying to cure Joker's condition, or the quarian's weak immune systems.

Suddenly, a strange feeling came over the salarian. He looked up from his holoscope, and released a quick breath, before biting down on his lip. He brought his hands up, near his face, tapping his fingers together – immersed in deep contemplation.

"Heh..." He let out a brief chuckle, shaking his head with a grin. Just then, he materialized his omni-tool and waved it across his desk in a sweeping motion. As he did, every machine, device, and apparatus simply powered down. The centrifuge stopped spinning, his holoscope and his terminal went dark. And he decided he would do, what he felt to be an eternity since he had done.

He torqued his head back and forth, trying to work a kink out of his neck that had been persistently bothering him for the past week. He shrugged his shoulders with a grin, before proceeding to walk out of the room.

From his work on the genophage with the Salarian Task Group, to his work on curing the plague in his clinic on Omega, to fabricating a suitable counter-measure to the seeker swarms of insect-like creatures utilized by the Collectors. It felt like it was an eternity since he had taken a break.

* * *

"Amonkira... Lord of hunters." A lone Drell Assassin prayed, with his eyes closed and his hands clasped tightly, within his quarters in the Normandy's Life Support Control Room. While he prayed, he didn't hear the door to his room slide open. "Grant that my hands be steady, my aim be true, and my feet be swift. And should the worse come to pass... Grant me forgiveness."

As he finished his prayer, a soft, playful shove came from behind, as he opened his eyes and smiled.

"Hey, Calamari." Jack began jovially, as she came in and sat on the table before him, with her legs crossed "What's goin' on."

"Siha." Thane replied with a smile, placing his hand on her knee. "I am joyful you have come. I was simply asking the Hunter Lord Amonkira for strength in the coming battle."

"You know, you still haven't told me what the hell Siha means." Jack replied, grinning and shaking her head. "I kinda like it, but you haven't told me what it means."

"Siha is the name of one of the warrior angels of the goddess Arashu." Thane explained, as his large black eyes locked on to Jack's. "Fierce in wrath, and a tenacious protector."

Despite her gruff exterior, he uncovered a tender soul, however wounded. He never expected anything like this to happen. But however different they may have been, each of them was something the other needed. There was a balance between them.

"That's how you see me...?" Jack questioned, with a mixture of doubt and gratefulness in her voice.

"You complete me, Siha." Thane assured warmly, taking Jack's hand in his own as he stood up and walked around in front of her. "Your passion, your lust for life – I have spent the last ten years dead. It took you to reawaken me. I only wish I had more time to give you."

"Shut up. Don't..." Jack scorned, as she replied with an angry, yet sorrowful look on her face. "I don't wanna hear that shit, alright? Fuck time, you're here now and that's what matters." Jack stood up, sliding off the table. She reached out, and pulled on Thane's shoulder, pulling him close as she pressed her mouth against his.

"Siha, wait..." Thane uttered, as he pulled himself away and caressed Jack's face, his eyes glazed over as he held tears back.

"What? What is it?" Jack demanded as Thane began to pace around in front of her restlessly.

"I... I have known I will die for many years." He responded, not actually looking at her, simply continuing to pace around – a concerned and confused look on Jack's face.

"I have tried to leave the galaxy better than I have found it." Thane continued. "I've righted many wrongs... I've spoken to my son. I should be at peace on the eve of battle."

"What are you trying to say, Krios?" Jack beckoned, as she came up to him, placing her hand on his chest. "What's the problem?"

"I'm... ashamed..." Thane answered, despondently.

"Ashamed? Ashamed of what?" Jack questioned angrily, pulling her hand away and glaring at Thane. "Ashamed of me? Is that it?"

"No!" Thane asserted, without hesitation at the notion. "Siha, I have come to care for you more than I ever thought possible. After I lost Irikah, I felt my body and soul would never again be one. But I met another Siha, few are privileged to even meet one."

"Then what the hell is it?" Jack pleaded, the anger in her voice somewhat replaced with concern. "What's wrong?"

He turned and leaned against his table, the burden of shame in his heart preventing him from facing her, as tears now flowed in droves from his eyes.

A look of burning indignation came over his face as he suddenly raised his fist, and slammed it down hard onto the table.

"I've worked so hard..." He said, as he turned his head to look at her. She wasn't sure what had him in this uproar, but it worried her. "Meditated and prayed, and done good deeds. Atoned for the evils I have done... Prepared..."

"But I consider my bodies death, and chill settles in my gut." Thane continued, closing his eyes and bowing his head over the table. "I'm afraid... and it shames me!"

"Hehehe..." Jack chuckled lightly, causing Thane to open his eyes in surprise. "You're ashamed because your scared?"

"But I..."

"So, you're scared. So what?" Jack continued, interrupting Thane as he turned back around to face her. "You think I don't know what it's like to be afraid? Yeah... I act like a mean crazy bitch. And I am. But it doesn't mean I haven't been scared. Until Shepard helped me destroy that shit hole Cerberus lab, I felt like a fuckin' scared little girl every day of my life. And it sucked! I'm through being scared, Krios."

Thane smiled warmly at Jack, as he looked down, and reached for her hands with his. "Thank you, Siha..." He uttered softly. "You truly are a warrior angel... The goddess has been kind to bless me with one, such as you."

"Yeah, yeah..." Jack snickered cheerfully, as she pulled her hands out of his, and draped them on his shoulders, around his neck – pulling him close to her. "Enough about your gods and angels. Come 'ere frog legs."

* * *

"Shoot..." Garrus grunted angrily, to himself as he worked on calibrating the Normandy's Thanix Cannons in the ship's main battery room. Something was breaking his concentration, causing him to make an unusual amount of mistakes.

"Come on, you suckers." He said to himself once again, as he ran the targeting program from where he last left off. A loud hum came from the retracted cannons, heard over the trembling of the ship, as the program powered them up. He worked on the console, doing his best to focus on his task and not let his muttering thoughts ruin his concentration.

A few beads of sweat rolled down his face, many of which were soaked up by the protective cast he was still wearing.

"There!" He said happily, before letting out a heavy sigh. "Finally done with those damn calibrations." He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, as the hum of the cannon's powered back down.

Pleased with his work, he turned and walked to sit on a nearby crate of his personal belongings. He noticed that his abdominal area no longer seemed to pose any sort of pain or discomfort to him as he sat, in contrast to days back.

He placed his hand on the cast covering the lower left side of his face, putting pressure on it. Gently at first, then pressing down firmly. Grinning at the lack of pain, he carefully cut into it and began to peel it off his face. Chunks and pieces fell to the ground as he peeled it off little by little. He knew he probably should've gone to Dr. Chakwas to have the cast removed, but a turian's naturally sharpened fingertips were versatile, and the cast posed no obstacle.

With the cast fully removed, mostly in pieces on the floor, he gently rubbed his face where it used to be. He smiled at the refreshing sensation of fresh air on that part of his face.

"Ah..." He said with a grin. "Much better."

* * *

Commander John Shepard stood alone in the Normandy's hangar bay, leaning against the small Kodiak shuttle on-board, with his arms crossed and his head hung low.

"Can we really win this?" Was the thought that echoed through his mind. He managed to defeat Sovereign and the geth. Then he defeated Harbinger's collectors. Now Harbinger was using the vorcha, and they had managed to capture the one true weapon they could've had against the Reaper fleet. Was he fighting a futile war?

The thought of Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams crossed his mind. The sacrifice she made, and the tragic decision he was responsible for... The decision he lived with. What if he had gone back for her? What if the geth had some how managed to diffuse the nuke, when he went after Williams. The whole mission could have been lost. He knew he made the only logical decision. But it still haunted him.

He thought about his deployment on Akuze. The men and women of his unit being slaughtered all around him. "Fall back!" He shouted to his squad firing wildly at the thresher maw, desperately trying to gets its attention, and hoping to give his team the window for escape they needed. But to no avail. It all happened so fast. Acid spewing from its mouth, his men being dissolved like candle wax in a flame. Most of it was a blur now, but he still remembered enough to give him chills.

He recalled the woman within the tube, in the Collector's base. Her screams of agony, as she pounded and clawed, trying desperately to get out, before her body was melted and processed into genetic material used to create that abomination. That human-reaper larva. The thousands, hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of innocent human colonists that were abducted and would never again see their families; Fathers, mothers, children, husbands, wives. And it wouldn't stop there.

His eyes closed as the vision of the attack on Xen played over and over in his mind. Entire vortigaunt families gunned down without mercy or remorse. The green blood of the vortigaunts flowing through their village. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of vorts impaled on dragon's teeth, as their bodies were changed into conduits to serve the Reapers. Not even death was enough to save them.

"You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it." "I am the Harbinger of your ascension." "Shepard, you've changed nothing. Your species has the attention of those infinitely your greater." "You fight against inevitability. Dust struggling against cosmic winds."

"John?" Shepard opened his eyes, as a familiar female voice snapped him away from his drowning memories. "EDI told me I'd find you down here, I've been looking for you."

"Is everything alright?" She questioned with a fair amount of concern.

Without saying anything, he looked up at his beloved quarian as a smile grew on his face. He pulled away from the shuttle, and reached out to grab her hand.

"Come here." He said softly, as he pulled her closely to him, embracing her as he leaned back on the shuttle once more. She put one hand around his back, and the other on his chest, feeling utterly at home being held by him.

"John, are you alright?" She questioned, looking up at him as he held her.

He smiled down at her, as he lowered his head and kissed the tip of her faceplate. "I am now."

There was a peaceful silence between them, as they held each other for several minutes. They swayed side to side in one another's arms, as Shepard lightly stroked the back of Tali's decorative hood.

"I really do love you, Tali." Shepard eventually stated, looking up towards the ceiling, her head resting on his shoulder. "I know I don't say it often enough."

"You don't have to say it, John." Tali replied, in a hushed voice. "I know it. And I love you too."

There was another brief silence between the two, as Shepard closed his eyes and rested his head against hers.

"You know, I think the last time I said it, was back on the Citadel." He uttered softly. "After I nearly throttled Hawkins."

The two chuckled softly, as the awkwardly humorous memory of Shepard manhandling Crewman Hawkins came surging back.

"Hey..." Shepard continued eagerly, causing Tali to look up at him, as an idea crossed his mind. "Speaking of which, I never did dance with you. Did I?"

"No, but that's alright." Tali replied, shaking her head. "I know you don't much care for dancing."

"True..." Shepard nodded his head, with a slick grin on his face. "But I still think I owe you a dance, Miss Vas Normandy."

Shepard gently pulled himself away from Tali, and walked out towards the center of the hangar bay, while manipulating his omni-tool. A sudden rhythm of slow dance music began to fill the large room, as he put his omni-tool away, and turned to face Tali.

With a huge smile beneath her faceplate; Tali slowly walked out, following Shepard as he turned and extended an arm towards her, to take her hand.

"Tali'Zorah... May I have this dance?"


	29. Chapter 29  Encroaching Evil

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 29: Encroaching Evil**

"How we doin' Joker?" Shepard questioned, as he rushed onto the bridge, fully armored.

"Just about to take us out of FTL speed, Commander." Joker answered, working his controls feverishly, as the Normandy trembled turbulently. "She's runnin' hot, but I told ya my baby wouldn't let us down."

"Never doubted you for a second..." Shepard replied, a tinge of nervous sarcasm in his voice as he held onto the back of Joker's chair.

"Disengaging FTL drive." Joker declared, as the ship's inertia suddenly shifted, causing the Commander to stumble forward, pressing him onto the rear of Joker's seat.

The brilliant streaks of light flashing by outside faded away; and in the distance, a small planet surrounded by terrestrial debris, hung amidst the stars, emanating a beautiful green luminance.

"Take us in nice and quiet, Joker." Shepard ordered, as he stood up straight, balancing himself out.

"Aye-Aye, Commander. Engaging stealth drive." Joker acknowledged, manipulating his controls, bringing the Normandy in for approach. "Heat emission syncs active. Board is green, we are running silent."

"My scans indicate a large number of vessels, resembling those used by the collectors, directly outside a large settlement on the planet's surface." EDI's hologram flashed, as Joker maneuvered the ship closer. "The settlement is currently occupied by a large mass of lifeforms, each of which appears to be heavily armed."

"The vorts don't use guns... Those are vorcha." Shepard responded, looking over Joker's shoulder, out through the ship's forward windows.

"I am also detecting multiple lifeforms amassed to the Northwest." EDI added. "Many of which posses erratic vital signs, indicating they are likely wounded."

"That's them!" Shepard affirmed with absolute certainty. "Find an LZ and take us down, Joker."

* * *

Hundreds of vortigaunts had managed to flee the lightning fast onslaught on their home, but thousands didn't. They had managed to find shelter in a series of shallow caves, and caverns in the rocky walls of a broad clearing. Many tended to their wounded, using native liniments, concoctions, and remedies of their own design. Others huddled into masses, weeping for the lost. Others still, huddled over the fallen. Those that had been mortally wounded, yet survived long enough to escape the terrors of the dragon's teeth, and the grim fate that would await them beyond death.

Many vortigaunts stood atop rocky formations, howling at their brethren, calling them forth, as vortigaunts continued to pour in. Many had become lost in the frantic retreat, others were rallying from smaller, neighboring vortigaunt villages – likely awaiting word of a counter assault. As peaceful as these gentle creatures were, death was a far preferable alternative to succumbing to their past fate once more.

"Gor'lek Bal gallam derog!" One of the vortigaunts yelled exuberantly, pointing up to the sky, as he noticed a fireball approaching, slowly beginning to take the outline of the Normandy. "The Free Man and his kin return!"

The Normandy's landing struts slowly extended from the hull's interior, as she hovered slowly in the center of the broad clearing. Dozens of vortigaunts rushed over, surrounding the Normandy in a semi-circle as it gently touched down. As the thruster engines powered down, and the loud hum of the drive core faded, the vortiguants approached; their despair, replaced at least slightly, with a dim spur of hope.

Just then, a metallic platform extended down from beneath the outer airlock door, as it slid open. The ramp touched down onto the floor, before the eager vortigaunts, as Shepard and his team marched down; fully armored, and fully armed.

"Welcome to the Free Man, to the Shepard, and to their allies!" One of the vortigaunts spoke out, greeting the Commander and his crew as they reached the floor and fanned out before the vorts. "Your arrival brings us jubilation beyond measure."

"Don't worry, we're here to help." The Commander declared reassuringly, as he looked over the huddled masses of vortigaunts. Their eyes were prideful, yet pleading. The tracks of tears still etched on the faces of many. "We're not about to let the Reapers claim your world."

"Mordin, Dr. Chakwas..." He called out, turning his head towards his crew slightly, as the two he addressed stepped forward. "Tend to the wounded, do whatever you can to help them."

"Right, Commander." Dr. Chakwas acknowledged, rushing forward as the agglomeration of vortigaunts split, creating a path to grant the two passage.

"My god..." Gordon uttered, as he beheld the devastation among the wounded, when the group split. Children and adult alike; many were laid out, battered, bloody, and wounded. Some with entire limbs missing. Others rested peacefully, those that would no longer have to bare witness to this horrible tragedy.

"Where's Alra?" Shepard questioned, looking over the group of vorts, and failing to spot the vortigaunt leader. "Are these all the vortigaunts who survived?"

There was a silence among the massing of vorts, as heads hung low. Many slowly began to disperse, returning to help the human and salarian doctors tend to their wounded.

"The Alra Guallam Bauk Go'rel did not survive." The vortigaunt at the head of the group answered, his voice drowned in lament. "We have called forth all of our kin, and many continue to reach us..."

"The interlopers came too quickly..." Another of the vorts interjected, shaking his head as he bowed it. "The beast has prevailed over our lands... We have lost all dear to us."

"Don't talk like that!" Shepard demanded, shaking his head and waving a hand in front of him. "We haven't lost yet, and this is far from over."

"Commander." Jacob chimed in, coming to stand beside him. "We should see how many of the vorts are combat capable, and organize a counter offensive as soon as possible."

"Easy, Jacob." Shepard rebutted, as the group began to move forward, towards the vort encampments. "We don't want to rush blindly into anything. We have to assess the situation first."

"Understood, Commander." Jacob nodded, as he followed the rest of the group.

"Alright..." Shepard continued, turning back to the vortigaunt that had been supplementing him with information. "You said vortigaunts are still coming in. I'll need you to try and gather every able bodi..."

"Shepard..." A chilling voice suddenly filled the air, echoing from the darkness, as it interrupted the Commander.

"Galra ma!" One of the vortigaunts yelled out, as they all fortified their stances, with a green beacon of light pulsating from their hands. "The beast!"

As the vorts braced themselves for combat, Shepard's crew did the same, pulling a combination of assault rifles, shotguns, sub-machine guns, and pistols from their respective weapon docks and holsters.

Unexpectedly, something fluttered in the air. Shepard put his hand out beside him, as if telling his crew to hold their fire. He walk forth, as something began to manifest itself in the clearing before them. Flickers and flashes of light came, slowly taking shape. Just then, the anomaly composed itself, taking the all too familiar form of a Reaper...

"Shepard..." Harbinger's apparition uttered again. It was a being of light, and nothing more. Yellow flashes of radiance, resembling that of a common hologram, appearing in the same manner Sovereign had managed to appear to him two years ago on Virmire. "You have become an annoyance. An annoyance that will be dealt with."

Gordon stood in awe at this massive projection of a strange, yet horrifying insect-like creature. Beside him, Shepard's crew lowered their weapons, looking on with both dread and astonishment. The vorts gathered behind them; terrified yet ready and willing to fight and die if they must.

"Your kind struggles fruitlessly against that which is inevitable." The anomaly continued. "Against beings who are far beyond your rudimentary comprehensions. We are those who have allowed your pathetic existence, and now we are those who have chosen to extinguish it. The cycle cannot be broken."

"Fruitlessly?" Shepard stepped forward, looking up at the reaper phantom. "Your kind can be killed... We've proven it. We proved it to Sovereign, and we'll prove it to you. Maybe you're right – maybe we can't win this. But no matter how rudimentary you may think we are, we'll fight you. And we'll never stop fighting you."

"Hollow words of a forsaken race..." Harbinger's apparition flashed before them. "Know this before you parish. Your strife has been in vain. Your species stands upon the cusp of extinction. You have failed..."

"You thought you had us beat on Earth too, remember that?" Gordon Freeman questioned sternly, as he stepped forward, coming to stand beside Shepard, locking eyes with the phantasm. "But even when our extinction was all but 'inevitable', we took our world back. We found a way to beat you then, and we'll find a way to beat you now..."

"Human..." Harbinger uttered, as he examined the orange clad figure addressing him, finding something strange about him. "Who are you? Your essence is a familiarity..."

"My name is Dr. Gordon Freeman." Gordon answered with a burning indignation in his eyes, peering up at the ghostly figure before him. "But I think your kind probably knows me better as... Anti-Citizen One."

Harbinger was silent for a moment.

"It is surprising one such as you has survived this long." He eventually replied, obviously recognizing Gordon in some mysterious way. "But it is of no consequence. You are the one who has doomed the vortessent ones, as well as your own species to annihilation."

"As opposed to what?" Shepard interjected furiously, pointing up at Harbinger. "To becoming your pets? Your slaves? The same as you did to the protheans? I don't think so."

"What you think is irrelevant." The apparition responded. "Mortality is your curse... Futility is your burden. Your weapons are useless against a kind such as our own. We are eternal." Harbinger's form slowly began to dissipate and fade away.

"Harbinger, wait! Hear me Reaper!" Shepard demanded angrily, forcing the anomaly to linger on, perhaps out of nothing more than sheer curiosity.

"You claim we struggle against inevitability..." Shepard began, locking eyes with the demon before him. "You claim yours is a race far beyond our mere mortal comprehension. Perhaps it's YOU who fail to comprehend US."

"You think THESE are our weapons?" Shepard beckoned rhetorically, as he pulled his pistol out of its holster and held it up in front of him. "You think this is what we'll use to defeat you? Our greatest weapon isn't some missile, or warhead, or starship... It's our collective will to survive! That's something that the Reapers can never extinguish. And THAT'S what we'll use to defeat you. Yeah, we may just be beings of flesh and blood, but we'll find a way... We always do. I guess we're just stubborn like that."

Without responding, Harbinger's manifestation slowly dissolved before them, as Shepard finished. Meanwhile, one of the vortigaunts stood with his hands clasped together; a dim lavender glow washing over his body, as he chanted softly with his eyes closed.

"So that's the true face of the Combine, huh?" Gordon questioned, turning to Shepard once the apparition was gone.

"Yep..." Shepard responded, still looking up at the empty space where Harbinger's phantasm once stood. "That's the face of our destruction, unless we can figure out some way to stop them."

"Free Man!" One of the vortigaunts shouted out in a panic, surprising Gordon as it caught his attention. Quickly, the vort that had been channeling energy, and reciting incantations rushed up, past Shepard's team, up to Gordon and the Commander.

"The Free Man and The Shepard must heed!" He yelled out with a deep sense of urgency. "The beast traverses the void! It encroaches upon an obelisk amidst the stars!"

"Obelisk amidst the stars...?" Gordon questioned, furrowing his brow, with a baffled look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"What are you talking about?" Shepard questioned, equally confounded. "We don't understand."

The vortigaunt was silent for a moment, as he searched for proper words to use, in this complex human idiom. Instead of speaking, he closed his eyes and raised his hands outward, one pointed at Gordon and the other at Shepard. The dim lavender glow enveloping the vort's body returned, as suddenly a divination began to appear in their minds.

It was a massive, black, metallic body - eyes burning with a flame fueled by an eternity of destruction and damnation. It glided through the blackness of the abyss, with a profound purpose and the most evil of intentions. Just then, the two gasped suddenly, snapping back into reality, as they beheld Harbinger's intended destination.

"He's going for that colossal space station!" Gordon exclaimed, turning to Shepard who stood starring into space with a grimace on his face.

"Yeah..." He replied, barely audible. "He's gonna try and open the Citadel relay again..."

"Miranda." Shepard turned back to face his team, who had become intertwined with vorts, offering any help they could.

"Yes, Commander." Miranda replied, rapidly pulling herself out of the crowd, ready for orders.

"Have Dr. Chakwas stay here and do whatever she can to help the vorts." Shepard ordered. "But I want everyone else into the comm room immediately."

"Understood, Commander." Miranda acknowledged, as Shepard turned and rushed back towards the Normandy.

"EDI!" Shepard yelled out unexpectedly, as he jogged onto the bridge through the airlock door, startling Joker and causing him to rapidly swivel around in his chair. "Put me through to the Council in the comm room!" He demanded as he rushed down the walkway leading away from the bridge, towards the Command Deck.

"Right away, Commander." EDI affirmed and prepared to comply.

"Hey, Commander whats... going... on?" Joker began to ask, before Shepard was already out of sight, leaving the helmsman with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Uhm... okay..."

Suddenly, Joker heard a loud series of footsteps clambering up the airlock ramp very hastily.

"Hey Miranda, what's up?" He beckoned, as Shepard's second in command suddenly rushed in the door, and down the same walkway as Shepard without so much as look in his direction.

"Can't talk now, Joker!" She shouted out, halfway down the path.

"Hey Garrus!" "Samara!" "Mordin!" He continually shouted, as members of Shepard's squad continued to breeze by him, in a huff.

"Jeez, what the hell's going on?" Joker asked himself, as the team continued to pour in.

"Hey Tali! What's up, what's happening?" He pleaded, as the veiled quarian rushed in.

"Sorry, no time to explain..." Tali responded, as she too bolted off with the rest.

"Son of a bitch!" Joker exclaimed, as an uneasy feeling settled deep into the pit of his stomach.

"Hey, doc, doc, doc! Wait!" Joker waved his hand about, as Gordon rushed in, hoping desperately to get his attention. "What happened, what's going on?"

Joker having succeeded, Gordon stopped momentarily, as members of the crew continued to rush on by past him. Namely Jack, Thane, Legion, and Jacob.

"Uh... Well I'm not one hundred percent sure..." Gordon replied, anxiously shrugging his shoulders as he started backing away from the bridge, towards the Combat Deck. "But if I had to venture an estimated guess from a scientific point of view... I'd say something really bad..."

"Citadel. Office of the Galactic Council." The hologram of a baby blue skinned asari woman at a desk appeared in the center of the comm room's table, as the team finished piling in, and gathering around. "This is Silani speaking, how may I direct your transmission?"

"This is Commander Shepard." The gray armored figure at the head of the table asserted, leaning forward towards the flickering hologram. "I need you to put me through to the Council."

"I'm sorry sir..." The asari answered nonchalantly, looking around at the walls of the room she was in, in a half day dream. "But the Council is currently convened in a meeting. What is the nature of your..."

"Listen to me!" Shepard interjected angrily, slamming his fist onto the table, startling and interrupting the asari operator. "I'm Lieutenant Commander John Shepard. I'm a Council Spectre. It is imperative that you put me through to the Council right away!"

"I... uh... uhm..." The startled asari sat forward in a panic, at the urgency and gravity of Shepard's request. "I'm... I'm sorry Commander, but I don't have the authority to put you through... I physically cannot connect you."

"Well who the hell can?" Shepard demanded angrily.

"Uhm... Well... no one sir..." Silani stuttered nervously to answer. "Not while they're convened. The Council is very adamant about not being disturbed during their meetings."

"Damn it!" Shepard slammed his palms onto the table, letting his head hang down.

"Wait..." Shepard uttered, as an idea popped into his head. "Can you put me through to Citadel Control?"

"Y-Yes, sir! Absolutely!" The asari assured, eagerly – likely relieved to be rid of the reprimanding Spectre. "Connecting you now!"

"Citadel Control." A male voice came in, as the outline of a turian began to materialize above the table. "Identify yourself hailer."

"This is Commander Shepard of the SR-2 Normandy." Shepard began, with a firm tone. "I'm a Council Spectre. I need you to close the Citadel arms right now."

"Uh, Commander Shepard sir..." The turian responded, recognizing Shepard and his authority. "Closing the arms is a top level administrative action. Only the Council can authorize us to do something like that."

Shepard released a long drawn-out sigh, as he hung his head over the table and shook it, before raising it back up to glare at the turian's hologram.

"Listen to me very carefully..." Shepard began sternly, with a look of indignation in his eyes. "The Citadel is about to come under attack... Don't ask me how I know... Don't ask me by who... Just know that if you don't close those arms right now, everyone on board that station is going to die."

"Lanus, I think we should listen to him..." A human sitting beside the turian intervened, having had eavesdropped on the conversation. "That's Commander Shepard, and if he says we're about to get attacked, then we're about to get attacked..."

"But there's nothing unusual on the radar..." The turian replied, looking over his instruments.

"Maybe not, but I believe 'em." His human co-worker reiterated. "Shepard wouldn't make something like that up. Besides, if it's true – I'd much rather lose my job, than my life."

"Alright, Commander..." Lanus reluctantly agreed, nodding his head at Shepard's hologram. "Initiating emergency override protocols... Closing the Citadel arms."

"Thank you..." Shepard nodded with his eyes closed, breathing a sigh of relief. "Please put the Citadel Fleet on high alert, as well."

"Well, I would Commander, but the Destiny Ascension, along with most of the fleet is still on that damned victory cruise." Lanus responded, shrugging his shoulders.

"What!" Shepard exclaimed in a shocked outburst. "So the Citadel's completely defenseless?"

"Well, no..." Lanus replied, somewhat confidently. "The fleet itself might not be here, but we've still got quite a few cruisers and carriers in Citadel orbit."

"That's not gonna be enough..." Shepard uttered despondently, shaking his head. "Well if nothing else, please just get the Citadel arms closed as quickly as you can."

"Yes sir. Right away." The turian affirmed. "Citadel Control out." The hologram flickered suddenly, then faded away.

"Harbinger's going to attack the Citadel?" Miranda questioned in shock, as the hologram dissipated.

"Yeah..." Shepard remarked with a sigh. "He's going to try to open the Citadel relay to Dark Space again. The same way Sovereign tried two years ago."

"How do you know this?" Miranda asked, a fair sense of concern now in her voice.

"I saw it..." Shepard affirmed almost immediately. "There's no doubt in my mind, he's going to try and bring the Reaper fleet through. And if he succeeds..."

There was an eerie silence in the room after the Commander spoke. He stood leaned over the table, starring off into space, contemplating the situation, as the crew members looked around at each other.

"Well, at least you got them to seal the Citadel." Garrus' voice broke the silence, with a tinge of false optimism. "I doubt even a reaper can break through that."

"Harbinger will have thought of something..." The Commander eventually spoke up again, a chill running down his spine. "He'll have a plan. Sovereign did... And with the Citadel virtually defenseless..." He shook his head, clenching his lips tightly.

"Plus we'd never make it back in time to try and stop 'em." Jacob supplemented, crossing his arms, a grimace on his face. "Not from way out here..."

"EDI." Shepard called out, looking up. "Put me through to the Destiny Ascension."

"Connecting you now, Commander." EDI's voice resonated through the room.

There was a loud crackle of static for a few moments, as EDI attempted to fulfill Shepard's request. An anxious tension filled the room, as they waited, powerless to do little else. Suddenly, the static began to take form as a voice came in.

"Cerberus Vessel." A dark blue skinned asari, with red markings on her face appeared, as she addressed the team. "This is Admirial Lidanya of the CSV Destiny Ascension. You are hereby ordered, by Citadel Law, to identify yourself immediately."

"Admiral Lidanya." Shepard responded, standing up straight with his hands behind his back. "I'm Lieutenant Commander John Shepard of the SR-2 Normandy, hereby formally requesting that the Citadel Fleet returns to the Citadel to repel an imminent attack."

"Commander Shepard..." The asari admiral stated, stunned by who had contacted her, and by his request. "We have received no word of such an attack, what evidence do you have of your claim?"

Shepard grunted and sighed all at once, at the response he got. "Look..." He began, pointing a finger at the hologram. "Two years ago, I saved the Destiny Ascension, and the Council. If it wasn't for me, there'd be no 'victory cruise'. Trust me, an attack is coming. For once in your lives, I'm asking you take something I have to say on faith..."

"I'm sorry, Commander." Lidanya responded, reluctantly. "But, my orders come directly from the Council. And you're asking me to amass and prepare an entire fleet for combat, based on an unsubstantiated claim. I can't do that, even if that claim is yours."

"What if it were mine?" An asari on Shepard's crew stepped forth, coming into view of the holographic imager.

"Justicar Samara..." Lidanya uttered in shock, as her fellow asari appeared on her screen. "You travel with a human?"

"I travel with those whose cause is greater than mine could ever aspire to be, Matriarch Lidanya." Samara affirmed, confidently. "And I avow Commander Shepard's claim. The Citadel WILL come under attack."

"Very well." Lidanya conceded. There were few who could ever humble an asari matriarch, especially if the said matriarch was an admiral aboard the most powerful warship ever built. But a Justicar could do just that. "We're still about two hours out, but the word of a Justicar is more proof than I'll ever need."

"Helmsman." She called out, addressing one of her shipmates, while still on screen. "Alert the fleet, and plot a course back to the Citadel."

"Thank you, admiral." Samara stated graciously. Without speaking, the asari admiral simply nodded in response, before her hologram faded into a blur of static.

"Whew..." Shepard breathed a sigh of relief, as he hung his head and shook it. "Thanks Samara, I'm glad they were willing to listen to somebody. Still... two hours is a hell of a ways out..."

"It was my honor, Commander." Samara assured, bowing her head towards Shepard.

"John." Tali spoke up, walking around the table towards him. "I could try and contact the Flotilla. Maybe I can get the Migrant Fleet to send some reinforcements."

"Do it." Shepard declared, giving her a single nod. "We need any help we can get."

"Right..." She nodded back, before turning her attention towards the table. "EDI, try and put me through to the Flotilla."

"Yes, Tali." EDI acknowledged, as a flicker of light appeared at the center of the table once again.

The light slowly began to take form, as the outline of a male quarian, donned in a green veil faded in.

"Unknown hailer, identify yourself." The quarian demanded.

"This is Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy Nar Rayya." Tali stepped forward, into the holographic imager. "Requesting permission to speak with the Admiralty Board. Preferably Admiral Shala'Raan."

"Our system has your ship flagged as Cerberus." The green veiled quarian responded. "Please verify."

Without hesitation, Tali quickly complied. "After time adrift among open stars, among tides of light and shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."

"Permission granted." The quarian on the other end affirmed. "Patching you through, Tali'Zorah." The static flickered silently for a few moments, as the green veiled quarian faded away.

"Tali'Zorah..." A male quarian with a light gray veil, and a dark faceplate appeared in the projection. "I was surprised to receive your transmission. Why did you request to speak to the Admiralty Board?"

"Zan'Arekk..." Tali replied, a mixture of surprise and disappointment in her voice. "I... was hoping to speak with Admiral Shala'Raan."

"Shala'Raan is currently preoccupied with important matters..." Zan'Arekk asserted, snidely. "As were we all... And she possess no authority, which I do not. So if you please, Tali'Zorah, state your business."

"You're an admiral now?" Tali inquired, surprised.

"Yes..." The male quarian on the other end of the hologram affirmed. "I was the one given Rael's seat on the board. Now if you don't mind child, please get on with it."

"Of course... Admiral." Tali began despondently, bowing her head slightly at how quickly and poorly the choice for her father's successor was made. "I come to make a dire request of the Migrant Fleet."

"Such as?" Zan'Arekk questioned apathetically.

"...The Citadel is going to come under attack soon." Tali continued, a sour taste in her mouth for the impetuous admiral. "Harbinger, a Reaper, is going to try and use the Citadel in order to open a mass relay to Dark Space, allowing the Reaper Fleet to come through. The Migrant Fleet must send some..."

"Hah!" Zan'Arekk scoffed, cutting Tali off. "I see that melodramatic Commander of yours is still filling your head with that Reaper nonsense..."

"It's not nonsense, Admiral!" Tali exclaimed angrily, pounding her right fist into her left palm. "The Reapers are real! They are goi..."

"Even if I did believe you, Tali'Zorah..." The admiral interjected, interrupting Tali once more. "Which I obviously don't... The Flotilla will need every available ship for the campaign in taking back our homeworld against the geth!"

"You're still planning on going to war with the geth?" Tali beckoned in shock.

"Well... There are still a few political hurdles to overcome, of course." Zan'Arekk answered, shrugging his shoulders. "But, the way the wind is blowing – the Admirals definitely appear to be leaning towards war. Myself included."

"Listen to me, you bosh'tet!" Tali shouted in an enraged outburst, causing the admiral's head to reel back, in stunned silence. "The Flotilla has to send reinforcements to the Citadel! If the Reapers come through, there won't be anything left to take back!"

"Wh... Why... I never!" The admiral responded, flabbergasted at Tali's sudden outrage. "How dare you Tali'Zorah! I am an esteemed admiral of the Migrant Fleet. You may just end up finding yourself in exile yet, child!"

"Don't you talk to her that way." The Commander's voice came through, over the admiral's communicator, followed by his holographic visage.

"Ah, Commander Shepard..." The admiral sneered upon seeing him. "I suppose it's no surprise to see you're the one orchestrating this fracas."

"Tali has done more for the Migrant Fleet, and for the galaxy than you'll ever understand." He asserted angrily, pointing a stiff finger at the admiral. "How dare you scoff at her request. Tali was the one that helped me stop Saren and the geth two years ago. She was the one that saved the Alarei, when the rest of the fleet just wanted to blow it out of the sky... And all she got for her trouble was threats of exile. I see that hasn't changed..."

"You'd better pray that it is all just a fracas, admiral..." He continued, taking a step back and crossing his arms. "Because if the Reapers manage to come through that relay... There won't be anyone left to say 'I told you so'... End transmission."

The quarian admiral's hologram swiftly faded away, as it was cut off by the Commander.

"I can't believe that bosh'tet was the one that replaced my father!" Tali sneered in a rage, clenching her fists tightly and shaking her head. "I'm sorry John... I guess the Flotilla won't be helping us..."

"Tali, it's alright... We don't need them." He assured her, rubbing the back of her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm just... Ugh!" Tali groaned angrily, shaking her head again. "I just can't believe that HE of all people, is the one that admirals chose... But it doesn't matter. What are we going to do about the Citadel? There's still no one there to defend it."

"I've got one more idea..." Shepard uttered, nodding his head with a slight confidence. "EDI, put me through to Admiral Hackket at Arcturus."

* * *

"Attention. Attention. The Citadel is now under emergency lock down." An automated voice came over a massive array of loudspeakers, information hubs, and news terminals throughout the Citadel. "All residence are hereby ordered to return to their homes, and all private and commercial vessels in Citadel orbit are ordered to return to port. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill."

The message looped continuously, as civilians scrambled to return to their homes, many in a panic. The last time the Citadel had been closed, a devastating attack that left hundreds of thousands dead, and many more injured, ensued.

Slowly the five gargantuan arms that made up the Citadel began to retract onto the center, narrowing the gaps between each of them as ships of various shapes and sizes hurdled back into the interior.

"What the hell's going on?" Captain Armando Bailey of C-Sec yelled out angrily, at the pandemonium outside.

"The Citadel's being sealed off, sir!" A young turian responded, as he rushed up to Bailey and saluted him. "They're closing the arms."

"Are we under attack?" Bailey questioned hastily.

"We must be sir..." The young turian replied dubiously, as alarms and the emergency recording resounded repeatedly.

"Alright... Listen." Bailey began to order, keeping a calm demeanor. "I need you to get on the horn to every available unit we've got. I want them out there patrolling, and keeping the peace. Have them help people get back to their homes safely, and make sure riots don't break out. Looters are a second priority. Understood?"

"Understood, Captain!" The young turian acknowledged, as he took a seat at large control console in the C-Sec office, before noticing Bailey turn to head out the door. "Wait, where are you going, sir?"

"Where else? To help out." Bailey turned, and informed the turian, before turning back and bolting out the door.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?" The Turian Councilor questioned furiously, as the sudden alarms and automated emergency system interrupted their meeting. "We didn't authorize a Citadel lock down!"

The four council members sat convened, at the top flour of the Citadel Tower, at a large meeting area situated beyond their respective podiums, used for audience with various ambassadors and dignitaries. The meeting area, along with the rest of the top floor, was adorned with lush synthesized environments. Small grassy knolls, fountains, and cherry trees to name but a few.

In high contrast to normal daily activity, in the tower, the entire top floor was completely empty, save for the four councilors. In times when the Council convened, the entire top floor was utterly off limits to anyone and everyone, but themselves. Anything and everything from laws, to matters of galactic security were discussed, and and the Council was not open to anyone but them being privy to such information, until concrete decisions were reached.

Councilor Anderson sat in silent contemplation, bringing his hands together near his face, and tapping his fingertips against each other. A chill ran down his back, as an uneasy feeling settled in his gut.

"We must be under attack..." The Salarian Councilor suggested, as the Councilors looked back at one another.

Without speaking, the Asari Councilor proceeded to bring up a holographic screen on her end of the table.

"Citadel Control." Lanus, the same turian controller that had spoken to the Commander, acknowledged as his visage appeared on the her screen. "Oh, Councilor!" He exclaimed, as he took notice of who was on the other end. "I suppose you're wondering why we've initiated emergency lock down..."

"Very much so..." The Asari Councilor assured, as the three other Councilors looked on.

"Well, you see... We... That is our scanners. We've anticipated an impending attack..." Lanus replied, stuttering nervously, and moving his hands around before him with a variety of exaggerated hand motions.

"Attack? Are you certain? By whom?" The asari queried, as Lanus rubbed the back of his neck, gulping down at something in his throat.

"Well... Not certain, Councilor. But I thought it best to take precautionary measures..." The turian replied, trying hard to force a false confidence. "We haven't been able to identify the attackers at this time, but we do strongly anticipate an attack..."

"Very well, controller." The Asari Councilor responded, causing Lanus to breath a sigh of relief. "You have done the right thing. Keep me updated. I will recall the Fleet."

"Of course Councilor, Thank you." Lanus replied, slouching back in his chair, and wiping his forehead, as the asari disappeared from his screen.

"There are reports of fires, and looting in the lower wards..." The human controller sitting beside Lanus chimed in, looking on at his monitor, causing Lanus to shake his head.

"Son of a bitch..." He uttered, leaning forward to continue his work. "Shepard better be right about this, or the Council's gonna have my ass..."

"Our ass, Lanus." His human co-worker replied, shaking his head. "I wouldn't let ya take the fall alone. Besides, I'm the one who talked you into it."

Lanus looked over at the human, with a grin, before turning his attention back to his work.

"Citadel arms have fully closed..." He said aloud, working his controls. "All ships have docked."

"Whoa..." He said suddenly, a bit of shock in his voice. "Wait a minute..."

"What is it?" His human co-worker questioned, noticing the flush expression on Lanus' face.

"I... I'm not sure..." Lanus answered nervously. "Something just appeared on radar... Something big..."

"One of ours?" The human questioned, trying to look over onto Lanus' screen.

"I can't tell... It doesn't look like it." Lanus remarked, working his controls feverishly, trying to discern what it was that had just appeared on his instruments. "It looks kinda like..." His jaw dropped suddenly, as a look of dread appeared on his face. "Oh my god..."

* * *

"Well Commander, you put in a very awkward position." Admiral Hackett stated, as his hologram flickered in the center of the comm room table. "You know the Alliance's official standpoint on the Reapers. But god knows you've probably saved more lives than the entire Fifth Fleet combined..."

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure, Admiral." Shepard affirmed, standing up straight with his hands behind his back.

"I know you wouldn't, Commander." Hackett assured, nodding his head subtly. "And damned if the Alliance doesn't owe you a whole hell of a lot. I'll mobilize the Fifth Fleet... If we end up chasing ghosts, I'll take the heat for it. It's the least I can do."

"Thank you, Admiral." Shepard stood at attention, and saluted, with Hackett returning the gesture.

"It'll be about thirty-five minutes before we hit the relay." Hackett informed. "I sure hope we won't be too late. Hackett out."

"Well at least the Alliance was willing to listen to reason..." Tali stated with her arms crossed, as Shepard leaned forward, his palms resting on the table.

"I just hope they make it there in time..." Shepard uttered, hanging his head low. "It took two entire Fleets to take Sovereign down. If Harbinger gets that relay open..." Shepard shook his head, without completing his sentence. A feeling of helplessness washing over him.

"We've gotta take back the vort's machine..." Gordon interjected, causing Shepard to look up, a profound resolve now on his face. "If they come through, activating it will be our only chance."

"Dr. Freeman's right." Shepard asserted, standing up and using his hands to push himself away from the table. "EDI, bring up your scans. Let's see what we're up against..."


	30. Chapter 30: In Defense of the Citadel

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction  
**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 30: In Defense of the Citadel**

There was an echoing silence on the top floor of the Citadel Tower. A sublime level of peace and tranquility filled the air, contrasting greatly to the pandemonium gripping the inhabitants outside. Just then, an elevator reached the top floor of the shaft, and the glass doors slid open. A tall, dark skinned man, with salt and pepper hair, wearing a cream white colored suit slowly stepped out and proceeded to walk down the long path towards the Council audience area. He held one hand locked firmly behind his back. His face was void of all emotion. His eyes were cold and hollow, staring blankly straight ahead, as he paced forward with a purpose.

* * *

"Citadel Control. This is the CSV Liberation, do you copy?" A voice came over Lanus' console, as he worked frantically at his controls, alongside about thirty others in the Citadel Control Room.

"Roger, Liberation. We read you!" Lanus replied to the voice on the radio.

"We have detected an unidentified craft approaching Citadel Airspace." The voice on the radio came through once more. "Please confirm and advise."

"Affirmative Liberation." Lanus confirmed, trying very hard to keep his composure, despite being wrought with tension and fear. "We have confirmed target. Repeat, we have confirmed target. Do you have a visual?"

"Negative on visual, control." The voice answered, as Lanus covered the bottom half of his mouth with one hand. "Target is approaching rapidly. ETA to visual confirmation – three minutes. Please advise."

"Liberation." The nervous turian replied again. "Target is NOT a Citadel vessel. Regard as hostile. I repeat, regard as hostile."

"Roger that, control." The gruff voice responded confidently over the radio. "Weapons hot. Will confirm threat, and repel. Liberation over and out."

"Alright, gentlemen." The gruff voice ordered, coming from a Turian Captain sitting on the bridge of the CSV Liberation; a large Turian Carrier at the head of a small congregation of ships amassed outside of the sealed Citadel.

"We have our orders." The Turian Captain continued, as members of his crew worked feverishly around him. "Notify the other ships. All weapons online. Phalanx formation. We are to confirm threat, and neutralize. No one is to engage until we have confirmed target as hostile."

"Captain Santerus, sir." A salarian situated at a station on the bridge, looking over his instruments, called out.

"What is it ensign?" The Captain queried, as he turned away from the forward windows, to face the salarian.

"Target is increasing velocity." The salarian ensign replied. "We should have a visual in as little as forty-five seconds."

"This is strange..." A turian shipmate, at a seperate station uttered out loud, catching the captain's attention, as he looked over his instruments. "Sir, this ship does not match the signature of any known vessel in Citadel Space or beyond... And it's huge..."

"How huge, crewman? I don't need generalizations, I need facts." The Captain asked, masking the concern in his voice with stern discipline.

"Well sir..." The turian responded nervously, working tirelessly at his controls hoping something was off with his readings. Sadly, they were accurate. "It's roughly the size of the Destiny Ascension... Perhaps bigger, sir."

"Captain Santerus." The salarian ensign interjected. "Sir, target is approximately two minutes out. But we have attained long range visual."

"Show me." The Captain ordered, turning to a small table-like platform beside the forward windows, situated directly in front of the Liberation's galaxy map.

Just then, a bright beam of light shone up from the center of the platform, forming a small hologram of the oncoming ship, above it. The ship, if it could be called that, was long in design. It was black and metallic, possessing a number of tentacle-like appendages extending from its hull. Four beams of light gleamed brightly at it's helm, burning like the eyes of a demon, where most ships would have their forward windows. The mere image of it, chilled the Captain's blood in his veins, as a shiver ran down his back.

"My god, it's another one..." Captain Santerus uttered in shock, as the crew around him looked on at the hologram, frozen in the tracks of their duties. The expressions on their faces ranged with everything from confusion, to shock, to pure unadulterated terror.

"I want all ships locked on, and ready to fire!" The Captain turned and demanded, as his crew relayed the orders. "As soon as that thing's in range, I want it blown out of the sky! No matter what happens, it does not reach the Citadel!"

* * *

The Asari Councilor sat at the Council's meeting table, speaking as a holographic screen flickered before her. Councilor Anderson sat at the opposite end of the table, his chin resting upon his clasped fist, while both the Turian and Salarian Councilor's paced around the table beside them.

"Thank you, Admiral... End transmission." The Asari Councilor said, as the holographic screen before her dissipated, leaving her with a concerned and perplexed look on her face.

"Have you recalled the fleet?" The Turian Councilor inquired, when he noticed the communication had been closed.

"No..." The Asari Councilor answered, shaking her head with a baffled expression on her face. "They were already on the way back..."

"Already on the way back?" The Turian Councilor questioned with confusion, and a hint of anger in his voice. "Under whose orders?"

"Commander Shepard's..." The asari replied, still somewhat dumbfounded. As soon as she uttered his name; Anderson looked up, as his gaze widened while he came to a great realization.

"Shepard!" The turian beckoned furiously. "By what authority does he dare issue orders to our fleet?"

"Does it really matter?" The Salarian Councilor added, shrugging his shoulders calmly. "It is advantageous that they get here as soon as possible, after all."

"Yes... Well, I suppose you're right..." The turian admitted, still brewing in spite, but regaining his composure. "Still..."

"Have we received word of who these would-be attackers are yet?" The salarian questioned, turning his attention towards the Asari Councilor.

"Not yet." The asari replied casually. "I suppose I should contact control again."

"It's the Reaper..." Councilor Anderson uttered in a hushed voice, causing the asari to pause as she brought forth a holographic screen once more."

"Councilor?" She questioned, with a bit of concern in her voice.

"It's the Reapers!" He shouted out this time, slamming his palms on the table and standing up. "Don't you see? Why else would Shepard have sent the fleet back. They're going to try to use the Citadel as a relay again. Just like they did two years ago!"

"Councilor Anderson..." The Turian Councilor replied with a condescending tone of voice. "You know as well as I do that the Reapers are just a myth, conveniently used by Saren in order to gain the allegiance of the geth..." He remarked, as Anderson shook his head with an enraged look in his eyes. "Saren is dead. And the Reaper myth died with him."

"But even if..." The turian continued, putting his hand up to silence Anderson before he even had a chance to speak. "It truly was the so-called 'Reapers' – The Citadel is sealed. Nothing can penetrate our defenses. I assure you, Councilor. We are perfectly safe." He affirmed, with a confident grin.

"Councilors!" An unexpected, yet familiar voice yelled out to them, startling the four, coming from audience area.

The Council looked back and forth at one another, each as surprised as the last to hear of anyone on the currently restricted floor. Without saying a word, they all proceeded to walk towards their podiums, overlooking a small metallic platform suspended above a glass floor. The glass floor below the platform was merely for show, possessing a beautifully fabricated grassy environment underneath.

This was where any diplomat, dignitary, or ambassador plead their cases, sought advice, or made demands of the Council. This was also the place where any member of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch of the Council was inducted into Spectrehood.

As the Councilors approached their respective podiums, they were surprised to see the familiar figure, wearing a cream colored suit, standing on the platform below them.

"Ambassador Udina!" The Turian Councilor began sternly, once he realized who had called on them. "What is the meaning of this? You know this area is off limits to anyone but the Council when we are convened. State your business here, before we strip you of your access!"

"Forgive me, Councilors..." Udina responded shamefully, as he took a humble bow before the Council, still holding one hand firmly behind his back. "I would never dare impose, however I come bearing news of a grave nature."

As the ambassador bowed, Anderson noticed something strange. There were dim streaks of light reflecting onto the floor behind Udina, that moved as he moved.

"Very well, Ambassador..." The Asari Councilor chimed in, serenely. "Please, proceed."

"As you wish... Councilor..." He stated in a deep tone of a voice, as a cold gaze came over his expression.

Suddenly and without warning, he pulled forth the hand which he been concealing behind him, with a gleaming silver pistol clenched tightly in his fist. With incredible speed, and surgical accuracy; he took aim, up at the Asari Councilor.

A thunderous crack echoed through vast room, as he pulled the trigger, placing a thermal round directly through the asari's forehead. Before the rest of the Council even had time to react, Udina turned his pistol towards the turian and fired again, as the asari's body dropped to the floor lifeless.

The turian's head reeled back, as the bullet shattered the bridge of his nose, and careened into his skull, leaving him dead on his feet before he could drop to the ground.

With the same lighting fast motion as before, he turned his gun onto the Salarian Councilor, who stood in shock, with his mouth agape.

"No!" The salarian shouted in terror, in the short fleeting moments before his death.

Within a window of no more than two seconds, three members of the Council were already dead. With a rapid jolt, Udina turned the pistol onto Anderson, using the same uncanny quickness as before. A hardened soldier however, is trained to move fast under fire. As Udina aimed for Anderson's head, and pulled the trigger, Anderson ducked - dropping down behind the podium, and narrowly evading a quick death.

Udina clenched his teeth in anger, as he began firing wildly at the small podium, providing the Councilor cover. Anderson lunged forward, going into a prone position on his stomach, as bullets began to pierce the podium, which was not designed to withstand gunfire.

Still in the prone position, Anderson looked over at his three fellow Council Members, laying lifeless in pools of their own blood, before he slowly crawled away to seek more suitable shelter.

"Udina!" The gun wielding ambassador heard Anderson's voice shout out, as he loaded a second clip into his pistol. "What in god's name have you done?"

"I'm sorry, Anderson..." Udina shouted in response, aiming his gun upwards, hoping to spot a glimpse of the Human Councilor. "But I am doing what must be done, in order to ensure humanity's survival..."

Slowly, Ambassador Udina made his way off of the metallic platform, never once lowering his pistol. He began to make his way towards a small curving flight of stairs leading up to the Council's podiums and meeting area.

"You weak minded fool!" He heard Anderson exclaim, as he made his way up the stairs, with his weapon still primed. "You've been indoctrinated!"

"Indoctrinated?" Udina answered, as he reached the top of the stairs, looking around the artificial environment. "No Anderson. My thoughts have never been clearer. This is the only way, can't you see that?"

Directly before him, laid the bodies of the three fallen Council Members, behind their podiums. To his left, far past the podiums, was the table where the Council held their meetings. This entire area was lush, and beautifully maintained. Sounds of natural ambiance played from speakers hidden among the trees, and bushes, creating a scene of near perfect serenity.

Udina looked around, with his pistol brandished, for the loose end Councilor, but was unsuccessful in spotting him.

"The Reapers will come, Anderson. We can't change that!" Udina yelled out again, scanning the area with his eyes, hoping to spot movement or any sign of the Councilor. "Nothing can change it. But if humanity can prove useful to them, they will spare us!"

"Are you blind?" Anderson's voice echoed through the room. "The Reaper's are just using you, don't you see that?"

Udina looked around frantically, aiming his pistol in all directions, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. Unfortunately for him, the acoustics of the large cavernous room worked perfectly in bouncing Anderson's voice off the walls, making it impossible trace.

"No. They need us Anderson, and they know it!" Udina declared, as he walked forward through the luxuriously adorned Council Meeting Area, swiveling his head back and forth with pistol in hand. "When they come through, they will harvest all other life in the galaxy. It is a sad, but necessary fact. However, my actions here will prove humanity's worth to them."

"Think about it, Anderson..." He continued, as he peeked his head around a small agglomeration of trees, however unsuccessful in finding the Councilor. "Once their harvest is complete, and the Reapers recede back into Dark Space - humanity alone will stand as the dominant species in the galaxy."

"It is pointless to resist, Anderson..." The ill intentioned ambassador continued. "Some lives must be lost, but I am assuring that our species will have a future. It is better to be at the right hand of gods, than in their path..."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Anderson abruptly yelled out, causing Udina to turn and face a small cluster of bushes opposite of him, where he was sure he heard the voice resonate from.

With his pistol aimed, and a grin on his face, he slowly began to pull back on the trigger. Before he could fire, suddenly from the top of one of the cherry trees behind him, Anderson jumped out onto Udina's back, slamming both of them down hard to the ground together.

The two men struggled and groaned, as the pistol slid out of Udina's hands, onto the sleek metallic pathway, between the artificial environments.

"Udina, stop this!" Anderson demanded, as the two men wrestled on the floor.

Anderson wrapped his arm around Udina's neck, using pressure to attempt to restrict the blood flow to his brain, in hopes of causing the struggling ambassador to black out. Udina grunted and scratched at the thick arm around his neck, as his vision became blurry. His finger nails dug deep into Anderson's arm, tearing away flesh in chunks, as he clawed in despair.

Suddenly, with a forceful twist of his body, Udina rolled himself over, rolling Anderson onto his back, and himself over on top of him, causing Anderson's grip to loosen slightly. Using both his elbows, on either side, Udina began to pummel Anderson's gut relentlessly, while still gagging. Seemingly, however, having no effect on the hardened soldier.

Just then, his jabs began to grow weaker, and slower, before his arms finally fell limp to his sides.

* * *

"Target is in range, sir!" The helmsman on the Liberation informed Captain Santerus, as Harbinger's visage appeared outside the forward windows.

"All ship's fire!" The Captain ordered, while alarms wailed and red lights flashed in the background. "I want that thing obliterated!"

With the CSV Liberation at the head of the small barricade of ships between the encroaching Reaper, and the Citadel; every vessel in formation let forth a torrent of missile attacks, and plasma assault cannon fire.

Without showing even the slightest deviation, Harbinger powered forward, as the maelstrom of ordnance collided against his black, metallic hull. Within a matter of seconds, he was engulfed in smoke, and flame as a fusillade of missiles detonated on impact with him, with the shockwave of the intense explosions rattling the Citadel ship's violently.

Captain Arterian Santerus, one of the Citadel's most highly decorated officers, looked on at the apparent, and all too easy destruction of the colossal menace.

"Wooo!" "Yeah!" "Got 'em!" He heard his crew suddenly erupt into a plethora of howls, cheers and applause, over a job well done.

"Ensign..." The Captain called out sternly, with an uneasy feeling washing over him, as he observed the ensuing ball of flame outside of the window. "Do your readings confirm the vessel's destruction?"

The salarian ensign's grin was quickly replaced by a serious look, as he turned back to his controls, in order to answer the Captain's question.

"We're still detecting a mass sir." The ensign replied confidently. "But it's likely just the debris continuing to break apart. Nothing could've survived that." He assured.

Without saying a word, Captain Santerus simply took a step forward towards the windows, with his hands clasped behind his back.

"It can't be..." Santerus uttered, as a look of dread and disbelief overcame his face. Outside the windows, tearing through the clouds of smoke and flame, Harbinger's outline appeared once more as it continued to advance.

"All power to forward Thanix Cannons!" Santerus yelled out, leaning over a rail on the bridge, overlooking the forward windows. "Fire!"

Twin beams of intense blue light shot out from two massive cannons on the carrier's underbelly, marked for collision with Harbinger.

"All ships, close in and fire another volley!" Santerus ordered, as the powerful beams of pure energy collided with the Reaper, and bounced off without leaving so much as scorch mark. "I want a steady barrage. Take that thing down!"

Missile fire, mass accelerator slugs, plasma cannons all unloaded onto the oncoming Reaper, having seemingly no effect whatsoever.

"Dear god, we can't stop it..." Santerus said to himself.

Suddenly, a burning red beam shot out from one of the Reaper's tentacle-like appendages. Like a club smashing through glass, it swept across nine of the Liberation's neighboring ships. Immediately, they were engulfed in flame, as smoldering pieces of debris began erupting from all compartments, moments before the vessels exploded into nothing more than clouds of fire and smoke.

"Should I call for a retreat, sir?" The salarian ensign questioned in a panic.

"Retreat?" Captain Santerus questioned angrily. "Our job is to defend the Citadel, no matter the cost!"

"But sir..."

"How many warheads do we have on board?" The Captain questioned, cutting off the panic stricken ensign.

"Four sir, but I think..."

"Arm all of them!" Santerus ordered, as he turned his attention back to face the monster outside the window. "Have them detonate on impact. We're going to do our job, gentlemen."

"Aye, sir..." The ensign replied, a despondent tone of resignation in his voice, as he began to accept the fate that likely awaited them.

* * *

As the belligerent ambassador slipped into unconsciousness, Anderson released him from his grip. The two laid beside each other for a moment, as Anderson panted heavily, trying to catch his breath.

Just then, he remembered Udina's gun. Anderson tilted his head upward, noticing it still laying peacefully on the metallic walkway dividing the artificial environments. He rolled over onto his stomach, and pushed himself away from the ground.

Slowly getting to his feet, he stopped and looked over at the fallen council members. Anderson bowed and shook his head at the tragedy, but at least he had managed to avert a far greater one. Staggering forward, he made his way towards the pistol.

Standing over the weapon, Anderson bent over to pick it up. As he did so, a sharp pain suddenly shot into his lower spine. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his stomach, after landing face first on the cold, unforgiving floor, with a sharp pain at the small of his back. As he opened his eyes, they were greeted by the sight of the silver pistol directly in front of his face, with a cream white sleeved hand reaching down and picking it up. It would seem the ambassador hadn't slipped as far into unconsciousness as Anderson had initially thought.

"I can't let you stop me, Anderson..." Udina claimed, pointing the gun as he backed away towards the podiums, putting about fifteen feet between him, and the stirring Councilor. "This is too important... I have to ensure humanity's survival."

Anderson slowly stood up, and faced Udina. His face was a portrait of indignation, as he brewed in a sort of silent rage.

"I wish it didn't have to come to this." Udina claimed, with his pistol aimed directly at Anderson's head.

"Well? What are you wait... Guards! Arrest him!" Anderson intentionally interrupted himself, as he yelled out in an outburst.

Udina quickly swung himself around, to confront the aforementioned guards, finding none to speak of. It was only a momentary distraction, providing a window of no more than two seconds, but by the time Udina turned back, Anderson was charging at him with a fury.

Without actually having time to take aim, Udina pulled the trigger twice, letting forth two shots, unsuccessful in slowing Anderson in the least.

Suddenly, Anderson plowed his shoulder into Udina's abdomen. The force careened him backwards hard, as both men broke through two of the Council's podiums, and went over the edge, crashing brutally through the glass floor underneath.

* * *

Captain Arterian Santerus stood on the bridge, looking out of the Liberation's forward windows at the approaching evil. He closed his eyes for a moment as he thought back to the words of his former Captain, while he served as Lieutenant on board the CSV Azure Wing.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?"

"Yes Art. Please, come in."

"I wanted to let you know that I'm recommending you to the Council, as Captain of the their new carrier; the Liberation."

"Sir... I don't know what to say. This is such an honor. Thank you."

"Skippering a whole crew is a big responsibility, Lieutenant. Think you'll be able to handle it?"

"I know I can, sir. I would gladly give my life to save any one of them."

"Heh... I know you would, lad. But this isn't a question of chivalry. The question is would you be willing to give THEIR lives to do your job?"

"Sir?"

"As Captain, you have to be ready to make decisions that could send good men to their deaths. If you aren't ready to make those kinds of decisions... I'll have to withhold my recommendation. Are you prepared for that kind of responsibility?"

"..."

"Sir... I... Yes sir, I am. And I promise I won't let you down."

"I know you won't, Art. And I know you'll do the galaxy proud."

"Captain Santerus, sir." The voice of his ensign snapped him back to reality, as he opened his eyes to see the massive destructive force outside the window, still approaching rapidly. "All warheads have been armed. But if we launch them at this range, we'll be destroyed in the blast radius as well."

The decorated Turian Captain bowed his head, and sighed. "We're not going to launch them, ensign..." The Captain replied remorsefully. "Issue an order to all the other ships. Have them fall back to a safe distance. And put me through to the crew."

"...Aye, sir." The ensign affirmed despondently, as a shiver ran down his back – having a pretty good idea of what was to come. "Comm channel's open, Captain."

"This is Captain Arterian Santerus." The resolute Turian began, as his voice echoed throughout the Liberation. "The first thing I want to say, is what an honor it's been to serve beside each and every one of you. Two years ago, we stood proudly in defense of the Citadel, and we lived to tell the tale. Sadly, that won't be the case this time. But make no mistake, our tales will be told. This son of a bitch has crawled out of hell itself to claim the Citadel, but we're not gonna let it. Today is the day we give our lives for those we care about, and for those we've sworn to defend. But we're not going alone. We're dragging this bastard back down into the blazes of hell with us."

"Helmsman!" Santerus called out, turning his attention away from the comm channel. "All thrusters ahead full. Ram it..."

"Aye, sir." The Helmsman acknowledged, showing more fear than reluctance, as he worked his controls. "All thrusters ahead full, sir..."

"We're with you, Captain!" The voice of his ensign shouted out, bringing a lamented smile to the Captain's face.

"Aye sir, we're with you!" "To the end, sir!" A few more stray voices from his crew shouted out, as the creature outside the window raised one of it's appendages in preparations to fire at the oncoming ship.

"Let's see how this thing handles two-hundred megatons rammed down it's throat..." Santerus said, as a searing beam of red light shot through the forward windows. The instant it did, the CSV Liberation collided head on with the Reaper, resulting in an immense explosion. In the moments before impact, many of the crew on board had more than enough time to think about their families and loved ones housed within the Citadel. Images of those they were saving; their siblings, parents, spouses, and children, flashed before their eyes, as a beautiful, angelic, white light overtook them.

The blinding light from the powerful nuclear explosion, rivaled that of a small sun, as its shockwave rattled the entire fortified Citadel.

Chunks of debris no larger than golf balls, and thread spools flew off into the abyss, as the blinding white light faded to a bright orange glow. Slowly, the gargantuan ball of flame began to dither into space. And in the midst of the flame... Four burning yellow eyes remained, as the beast continued forth undeterred, but not unscathed.

"Oh my god..." Lanus uttered, as a huge wave swept over his radar in the Citadel Control Center. Once the wave dissipated, the distinct outline of the approaching Reaper persisted, and continued to advance.

"What is it?" One of his human co-workers questioned, drawing his attention away from his own station, which was monitoring conditions within the sealed Citadel.

"They just nuked that thing... And it's still coming." Lanus replied in a hushed voice, with a grimace on his face, a knot in his throat, and a chill running down his back. "The barricade is gone... That thing took out three-fourths of our ships, with one blow."

Without saying a word, Lanus' human co-worker simply gulped at a similar knot that had formed in his throat.

"It can't break through the Citadel arms though, can it?" He eventually questioned, desperately seeking reassurance. Lanus simply turned and looked at him, a look of fear and uncertainty in his eyes.

"Can it?" He questioned again, with a much deeper sense of urgency.

Lanus closed his eyes, and hung his head over his terminal. "...I don't know."

* * *

"Ugghhh..." Anderson groaned; his blurry vision starting to come into focus, as he shook his head, trying to get his bearings back.

As his vision cleared, he suddenly realized he was laying on top of the motionless Ambassador Udina. Pushing himself away, he saw Udina laying flat on his back, eyes wide open, starring blankly up towards the ceiling. A trickle of blood dripped off his cheek, from his mouth. And his head rested on a small crimson puddle.

"Udina!" Anderson exclaimed, as he quickly pushed down the Ambassador's suit collar, and checked for a pulse.

"Damn it, Udina..." Anderson uttered, bowing his head and shaking it, over the lifeless Ambassador, clearly unsuccessful in finding a pulse.

The two were laying in the synthetically created forest environment housed below the glass observation floor. Anderson's entire body ached, as he carefully rolled himself off of the dead Ambassador.

"Ow!" He cringed, as he brought his hand up to his face, finding a deep gash. As he rolled over, he had placed his hand on a large shard of the glass floor, which sliced through his palm.

As he sat, Councilor Anderson looked upwards, at the gaping hole in the glass floor, or ceiling from his perspective. He quickly realized since he was the one who had charged the Ambassador off of the ledge of the platform, and through the glass; Udina's body unwilling served as protection for Anderson in the fall, absorbing most of the shock. Although, the impact still left Anderson's body riddled with pain, and likely multiple fractures.

Just then, he felt something warm running down the side of his face, and noticed a slight throbbing in his head, and a ringing in his ears. Anderson slowly struggled to get to his feet, groaning as he planted one foot firmly on the ground, using it to push himself up against his knee.

He turned around, to look down at the deceased Ambassador one last time, shaking his head with his eyes closed.

"How did they get you, Udina...?" He questioned solemnly, panting under his breath. "It was Virmire wasn't it? That strange sculpture you brought back... How could I have been so blind?"

Anderson sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Donnel..." He uttered, stricken with lament. "Rest in peace."

Anderson took a long look around the artificially made environment, looking for a way out. All he could see around him, were bushes, and trees. In the corner, there was a small fabricated pond, surrounded by stones, with lily pads floating in it.

The ambient nature sounds, of birds singing melodiously, the wind gently wafting through the trees, and water trickling downstream, was usually quite relaxing. But it was starting to grate on the old soldier's nerves, as he scanned the area for a way out.

Just then he spotted a door hidden behind a small congregation of trees. It was a maintenance door utilized by the groundskeepers, when they tended to the once peaceful scenery.

As Anderson took a step towards the door, suddenly a sharp, agonizing pain shot into his shoulder. "Ugh!" He groaned painfully, as he placed a hand on his shoulder. That's when he realized he had been shot, as blood spilled through his fingers. One of Udina's panicked shots had managed to drill into his shoulder, moments before he was slammed to his death.

Clenching his arm tightly, trying to keep pressure on the wound, Anderson slowly began to stagger forward towards the door.

"Human, you will not interfere." A deep, chilling voice unexpectedly echoed through the room, seemingly coming from everywhere. "I am assuming control."

Anderson gasped, as he rapidly swung himself around. His eyes widened, in shock – unable to believe what he was witnessing.

There before him, the dark silhouette of the surely deceased Ambassador Udina suddenly sat up, and turned to look at Anderson with a burning gaze. His eyes emitted a brilliant yellow glow, shinning brightly with the seething rage of some ancient, unholy creature.

Without the least bit of difficulty, the demon-eyed abomination stood up, never once taking a glance away from Anderson.

The weary Councilor stood with a look of stone resolve on his face. The shock in his eyes, was replaced with one of angry determination, as he clenched his right fist tightly.

As the possessed Ambassador stood looking at him, Anderson suddenly dashed in his direction. He pulled his right arm back, with his fist clenched, while holding his left arm over his abdomen, favoring his shoulder.

As Anderson closed the gap between them, he brought his fist forward, using his own momentum to thrust it as hard as he possibly could into the controlled Udina's face. The force behind his punch should have been enough to fracture a man's jaw, but the beast simply got turned away momentarily.

As the former Ambassador turned to face Anderson once more, eye's still aglow, Anderson wound his arm back again, and careened into his face hard, a second time.

"Umph!" Anderson grunted as his fist brutally plowed into Udina's face a second time. But once again, those glowing eyes simply turned back around to face him, undeterred.

Anderson shook his head, and clenched his lips. His look of determination unwavering, as he reeled his arm back yet a third time. Before Anderson could strike; with the back of his hand, the glowing eyed demon swung ferociously, striking Anderson and sending him hurdling backwards, with superhuman force.

Anderson writhed on the floor in pain, gritting his teeth as he clenched at his shoulder, with his clothing soaked in blood from his wounds.

"Damn it!" He uttered through clenched teeth, as he feared the worst. Just then, directly beside him, in a tall patch of grass he noticed something silvery shining through. As the beast approached him, Anderson used his good arm to sift through the grass, finding what he had suspected and hoped for.

As Udina's body came to stand over the wounded Anderson, like a hunter toying with it's prey, the Councilor quickly pointed his arm up at him, rapidly firing a multitude of rounds from Udina's pistol into his body. The shots struck Udina multiple times in the chest, and even one direct hit between his glowing eyes, but it was to no avail.

Unflinching, Harbinger's puppet bent over, clutched Councilor Anderson by the neck, and lifted him up with ease, as his feet dangled at least four feet off the ground.

"Prepare for ascension." Harbinger's chilling voice echoed, as Anderson struggled fruitlessly, gagging and coughing as he slammed his arm down on Udina's, trying desperately to break free.

"Argh... Burn in hell..." Anderson replied in a raspy voice, as his oxygen was restricted - a fiery rage burning in his eyes, where lesser men would have fear. As he felt darkness beginning to creep in around him, he spat an insulting globule of saliva and blood onto the face of Harbinger's embodiment, as a final act of defiance.

Without the least bit of emotion; remorse, guilt, sorrow, or mercy, the creature closed his grip around Anderson's neck. Snapping it like it someone crushing a paper cup. As the cracking sound of the bones in the Councilor's neck breaking came, his eyes rolled back into his head, before they closed forever. His arms dropped to his sides, and his feet stopped kicking. Now, simply dangling lifelessly.

Like someone discarding trash, Harbinger's embodiment simply tossed the body of the lifeless Anderson aside like a giant rag doll. With the last major obstacle out of his way, Harbinger's puppet looked up, past the shattered glass ceiling, towards the Council's podiums; from where they could control every operation of the Citadel, with the mere push of a button.


	31. Chapter 31: Hopeful Despair

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction  
**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 31: Hopeful Despair**

"Shouldn't be too difficult." Jacob affirmed, as he and Shepard's team stood around the comm room table, looking on at the holographic projection of the vorcha occupied vortigaunt settlement. "The vorcha aren't exactly coordinated. We should be able to storm the village from the northwest, take down a few hundred vorcha ground troops, and reclaim the control room. Nothing we haven't done before." He assured confidently, looking up at Shepard with his arms crossed.

"We'll break off into two teams." Shepard added, nodding his head, and looking down at the projection. "We should be able to force them towards the center of the village, here. Then flank them on both sides."

"My scans have detected a problem." EDI's voice suddenly chimed in.

"Great..." Garrus said sarcastically, while rolling his eyes. "I thought this sounded too easy. Let me guess. The vorcha have mechs? Biotics? Biotic mechs?"

"I doubt it'll be something that simple." Shepard replied, breathing an exasperated sigh. "What's the problem EDI?"

"Further analysis of the vortigaunt's device shows that the control room has been sealed off, and has remained completely undisturbed." EDI began.

"So?" Jacob questioned impertinently. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"However." EDI's voice continued. "My readings indicate that the device's underground fusion reactor has been completely destroyed."

"Oh, damn it to hell..." Gordon said to himself, clenching his eyes and letting his head drop.

"Hmm..." Mordin uttered, pacing around with his fist on his chin, as Gordon leaned on the table, shaking his head. "Problematic..."

"EDI." Shepard called out, as he watched the unfavorable reactions of the two scientists on his crew. "What does that mean? Can it be fixed?"

"The vortigaunt's machine is powered by a massive Element Zero core housed deep underground, beneath the vortigaunt settlement." EDI elaborated, as the projection in the center of the table zoomed to the underground chambers housing the giant core. "Directly beneath the core, is the fusion generator well. The well serves in exposing the core to the necessary electrical discharge, in order to generate the reaction needed for powering the device."

"So... What? It needs a new battery?" Garrus questioned, shrugging his shoulders and raising an eyebrow.

"It's simple." Mordin assured, pointing his hand out in front of him. "Fusion generator powers eezo core. Eezo core powers quantum disruptor. No generator, no core. No core, no disruptor. No disruptor..." Mordin took a deep breath, interrupting his rapid string of wording. "Reapers win."

"In other words..." Gordon interjected, trying to clarify Dr. Solus' cryptic explanation. "We have the battery, we just need to charge it. See, the element core is what powers the machine. But the Xen Matter, or Element Zero as it's now called, is itself in a dormant state. It requires a discharge of raw energy powerful enough to stimulate it and trigger the necessary exothermic reaction. And if we can't find the means to generate a powerful enough current... This machine is utterly useless."

The Commander simply nodded in silence, with his arms crossed, as he listened to Gordon's explanation.

"Can it be repaired?" Miranda questioned, standing across the table from Gordon.

"Uh..." Gordon released a hefty-sigh, as he rubbed the back of his neck with a bit of a scowl on his face. "Well, anything can be repaired I suppose. But it took the vortigaunts over a century and a half to build this thing. With our lack of materials and supplies, it could take weeks, maybe even months to repair such a critical component. Time we don't have."

"Seems a bit redundant." Jacob added. "Not that we wouldn't be in the same boat either way, but if that generator is supposed to be so damn powerful, why the need for the eezo core?"

"You're right." Gordon responded, nodding his head reassuringly. "That generator does put out an incredible amount of energy. But it doesn't even begin to compare to immeasurable amount needed to power this machine."

"See, this device is a massive quantum disruptor." Gordon continued, looking back and forth at his fellow squad mates as if lecturing a group of students. "It's tuned to the harmonic resonance of these Reaper creatures, entangled if you will. When activated, it will generate a pulse that will completely disrupt any Reaper energy signature, and cause total sub-molecular collapse. But as far as I can determine... Only a xen matt... excuse me, Element Zero core of that size and potency is capable of putting out enough energy to power it. We just need to figure out a way to give it a jump start."

"What about the emergency life support generators." Thane added, once Gordon had finished his lecture. "Is there some manner in which we could use those to power it?"

"Insufficient." Mordin asserted rapidly. "Life support generators lack necessary capacity. Would be like trying to power a starship with a car battery."

"There's gotta be something..." Shepard declared, leaning forward on the table, the sound of frustration in his voice. "The Normandy's got one of the most advanced drive cores of any Citadel vessel. It's strong enough to power a dreadnought. Couldn't we use that somehow?"

"The drive core..." Gordon uttered to himself silently, clasping his chin between his thumb and index finger, as his brow furrowed and his eyes began to flicker.

"Hmm... Plausible." Mordin stated with a quick nod. "However, still problematic. Impossible to siphon that amount of energy successfully. Would require dismantling the drive core piece by piece, and reconstructing in place of fusion generator, below eezo core. Could take days. Suggest more expeditious solution. "

"Well you're the scientist Mordin." Shepard responded with a sigh under his breath, as he glared at the salarian. "If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them..."

Mordin was silent for a moment. He paced around in a small circle, clenching his lips, and tapping his chin with one finger.

"Perhaps... No, no, no..." He began, before cutting himself off, and shaking his head angrily. "Would require photonic resonance capacitor module... Don't have one. Never mind." A grimace came over his face as he stopped pacing. He turned to look at the Commander, as he let his arms drop down to his sides. "I'm sorry Shepard. No suggestions to speak of."

Still leaning on the table, Shepard bowed his head, and shook it exasperatedly.

"Dr. Freeman...?" He questioned, raising his head back up, and looking in Gordon's direction. Hopeful, that he might have a possible solution.

Without offering any notion of response or acknowledgment; Gordon simply stood with one arm crossed, his chin still clasped between his fingers, and his eyes flickering back and forth, completely oblivious to anything outside of the turning gears in his mind.

"Commander." EDI's voice suddenly interjected, as a sense of despair began to set in. "I am receiving an incoming transmission from The Illusive Man."

"EDI. We don't exactly have time for his B.S. right now." Jacob asserted, turning his eyes upward. "We're a little busy trying to figure out how to avert the end of days, here..."

"Wait." Shepard ordered, putting a hand up to Jacob. "The Illusive Man has a lot of contacts. He might be able to get some more help to the Citadel. Buy us a little more time."

"Point taken, Commander." Jacob nodded compliantly, standing up straight and placing his arms behind his back.

"Put 'em through, EDI." Shepard instructed, pushing himself away from the table. As he did so, the table suddenly began to retract itself into the floor. Every member of Shepard's crew carefully backed away from the lowering table, as the full bodied projection of a man with gleaming blue eyes appeared.

"Shepard!" The Illusive Man barked out angrily, as The Commander stepped onto the communication platform. "Where in the hell have you been? Do you even have the slightest idea of what's happening?"

"Probably more than you do." Shepard asserted sternly, crossing his arms. "And where I've been isn't important."

"So then you know the Citadel's come under attack by a Reaper?" The Illusive Man inquired in a much calmer demeanor, shaking the excess ash off his cigarette into his armrest's ashtray.

"Who do you think is the one who got them to seal it off?" Shepard questioned assertively. "I've also managed to get the Alliance and Citadel fleets to return. It isn't much, but it's bought us a little time. Now... What I need YOU to do is..."

"Perhaps not nearly as much time as you think..." The Illusive Man announced, cutting the Commander off. He shook his head with a flush expression, as he looked on at an orange holographic screen before him. "My intel on the Citadel tells me that the arms are opening back up..."

"They're what?"

* * *

"Lanus, what the hell are you doing?" A human controller sitting besides the turian in Citadel Control, beckoned in a panic. "That thing is still out there, why the hell are you opening the arms?"

"I... I'm... I'm not!" The turian controller responded, working his controls in a frenzy. "It's not me! It's the Council. They're overriding the lockdown!"

"What...? W-Why?" His co-worker demanded with a stutter. "They know we're under attack. What are they doing?"

Outside a window, a brilliant lavender light began to pour in through the five gaps between the Citadel arms; steadily enlarging, as the arms slowly separated, and opened to their normal states.

"I don't know..." Lanus replied, the pitch of his voice slightly elevated as he held back his breath. He quickly went back to work on his controls, opening a comm channel.

"This is Citadel Control the the Council. Citadel Control to the Council, please respond..." Lanus' voice emanated from the two remaining Council podiums, as a glowing eyed figure stood behind one, working a holographic screen.

His skin was dark, and had salt and pepper hair. He wore a cream white suit, with a collar soaked in crimson red. The back of his skull was cracked open, and a trickle of dried blood left a trail from his mouth to his chin. But none of that seemed to bother him in the slightest, as he worked the holographic controls on one of the podiums.

"Citadel Control to the Council. Please Council, respond!" The voice came through once more, with a profound sense of urgency. "We are under direct attack. You must reseal the Citadel! Threat has not been eliminated. I repeat, threat has NOT been eliminated. For the love of god... Councilors, please respond!"

Ignoring the frantic voice as if it wasn't even there, the glowing eyed man, formerly a Human Ambassador, continued his work to completion.

As he finished, the loud, mechanical hum of the Citadel's arms opening could be heard outside, and a slight tremor could be felt through the ground.

His work now complete, the luminescent yellow glow coming from the Ambassador's eyes suddenly faded. And his body fell limp to the floor, void of all life. He fell besides the bodies of the three Councilors he had killed only moments ago, and would now join them... in ascension.

"Council! Please, if you can hear... Oh no..." Lanus uttered in terror, as he looked at his screen.

"What?" His human co-worker questioned with a gulp, trying hard to contain his panic.

"That thing's coming in... It's coming into the Citadel..." Lanus rapidly swiveled around in his chair, turning to face a large window, on the opposite wall. His fellow Citadel Controllers were each working frantically. Many monitoring conditions within the Citadel. Others monitoring life support and various crucial systems. But all of them stopped dead in their tracks, as a looming black shadow cascaded across the room. A shadow cast by the massive silhouette of the Reaper floating into the Citadel, just outside of the window.

"Contact C-Sec..." Lanus instructed his human co-worker, in a hushed voice, never once taking his eyes away from the Reaper outside; floating across the window, like a train crossing a railroad stop. "Tell them to begin evacuating... And have them find out what the hell is going on with the Council."

"Right!" His co-worker assured, turning back to his controls as Lanus suddenly got up from his chair, and bolted towards the door. "Wait, what about you? Where are you going?" He asked.

Lanus stopped, and turned to look back at the human controller. "I'm going to get my family, Jim..." He responded, trying to hide the trembling in his voice. "After you call C-Sec, I suggest you do the same... All of you. There's nothing more we can do here."

* * *

"The Council's overridden the lock down protocol." The Illusive Man informed Shepard, continuing to look at his screen, while the Commander clenched his lips and shook his head. "Why in gods name would they..."

"They didn't..." Shepard interjected, interrupting the steely eyed hologram before him. He bowed his head, with his eyes closed as a sudden memory came surging back to him.

"Was that... Ambassador Udina?"

"Hard to believe isn't it? He went on vacation to that new resort that just opened up on Virmire. Was gone two weeks, came back a changed man."

"It wasn't the Council." Shepard continued, looking back up at the Illusive Man. "It was Udina... He was indoctrinated."

"Donnel Udina? The Human Ambassador?" The Illusive Man questioned dubiously, as he furrowed his brow. "What makes you think that?"

"They were in a meeting." The Commander answered. "No one could've gotten into that floor of the tower without administrative access. And I noticed Udina acting very strangely on one of my last visits to the Citadel. But I never thought..."

Shepard stopped and bowed his head once more. He placed one hand on his hip, and the other over his forehead, masking his eyes. "The Council's dead..."

There was a silence between the two of them, as well as among the crew members surrounding the two figures.

"Well, Shepard... What do you intend?" The Illusive Man beckoned harshly, breaking the silence as he crushed out his cigarette on his armrest's ashtray. "Ever since you unshackled EDI's AI, I can't track you. Much to your satisfaction I'm sure, but what do you plan to do? Are you going to return to the Citadel?"

"What I plan to do makes no difference..." Shepard responded in a weary voice, as he looked up at the Illusive Man with what some might say was despair in his eyes, doing his best however, to mask it with a cold resolve. "This falls on you now. It's up to you and your 'vast wealth' of contacts and resources. Get anyone and anything you can to the Citadel... Do whatever it takes to stop Harbinger. And whatever happens, don't let that Reaper fleet come through."

Even though Shepard's request was mired in urgency; deep down in the recesses of his mind he knew full well that no matter what he, the Illusive Man, or anyone did... They would be too late to stop the Reapers from coming.

Without saying a single further word, the Illusive Man gave Shepard a firm yet contrite nod before reaching for a button on his controls, terminating the transmission.

Shepard turned and walked off of the communication platform. As he walked back, the comm room's table slowly began to rise out of the floor, back into place.

"I'm sorry, Captain..." The Commander uttered silently, to himself as he breathed a heavy sigh.

"What's the plan, Commander?" Jacob questioned, standing up straight at attention.

"Heh..." Shepard scoffed, with a mixture of sarcasm, frustration, and anger. "Plan? What plan? We fight or we die, that's the plan..."

"We should set a course back to Citadel Space." Miranda added, leaning forward on the table as it came to a rest. "We have to be there to face the Reapers if they come through."

"Even if we could make it back in time, Miranda." Jacob responded, crossing his arms. "Which you and I both know we couldn't. The Normandy can't stand up to a Reaper, much less a Reaper fleet. Our best bet is to stay here, and take the machine back from the vorcha."

"But what good would that do?" Garrus questioned, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. "You heard Mordin and Freeman. It could take days, maybe even weeks to get this thing back up and running. Miranda's right, we should head back to Citadel Space and do our best to help galactic fleets."

"What about the vortigaunt people?" Samara intervened, offering her own opinion. "Many are wounded, and they are in dire need of our help. We can not simply abandon them here, to die."

"If we don't leave now, trillions will die." Garrus remarked, shaking his hand forcefully out in front of him.

"The Reapers brought Earth to its knees once, in only seven hours!" Miranda exclaimed, as she nodded at Garrus. "Can you imagine what they can do in days? Or even weeks for that matter? We have to be there to try and stop them."

Shepard stood silently, with one arm crossed and his fist pressed against his mouth, as he listened to his crew squabble, contemplating in silence.

"There won't be anything we can do against an entire fleet of Reapers..." Tali added. "We should stay here and help the vortigaunts take back their home. We can try to figure out a way to get it working after that."

"Uhm... Excuse me." Gordon said mildly, unheard amidst the bickering, as he turned to face the rest of the crew, clearly something new on his mind.

"We're just wasting time by sitting here!" Jacob exclaimed. "We've gotta take action."

"Right. And I say the best thing we can do is head back." Garrus responded. "EDI, have Joker set a course back towards the Citadel."

"Ignore that, EDI!" Jacob yelled out, as he glared across the table at Garrus. "The Commander never issued that order, Garrus."

"Excuse me." Gordon tried to interject once more, fruitlessly. "I believe I may have..."

"So what? You just wanna stay here and take back a worthless machine that can't be fixed?" Garrus demanded angrily, slamming his hands down on the table, and returning Jacob's glare, as Gordon tried to get a word in edgewise. "While trillions die on the other side of the galaxy."

"What I want... Is to secure the best, and probably only hope we have at saving those lives!" Jacob rebutted furiously. "The only thing we'll accomplish by going back now is getting ourselves killed!"

"Then at least we would die honorably." Thane added calmly. "Perhaps it is fate, that more than that we cannot do."

"I say we stay here..." Grunt chimed in. "We won't have to go far for a worthy battle."

"This is fucking stupid!" Jack yelled out, adding her own voice to the verbal fray. "We ain't doin' shit from here. I say we go back. If we die, we die!"

"We have to stay here, and take back the vortigaunt's weapon!"

"What good is the weapon if it can't be fixed?"

"We have to go back, and try to stop the Reaper fleet."

"What kind of chances do you think we would stand against an entire fleet of Reapers?"

"Better than our chances of staying here and doing nothing!"

"HEY!" Gordon suddenly yelled out over the yammering voices, causing every squad member to cease their quarreling, and turn to look at him. A sudden silence was ushered in, as every eye fell upon him, surprised at his out of character outburst. The Commander's eyes narrowed, as a slight grin came over his face.

"Uh... Sorry, I just... And of all of you wouldn't... " Gordon began nervously, surprising himself by his own outburst. "Never mind... Look, I think I might have come up with something of a plan."

* * *

"Councilor's?" A deep voice echoed through the top floor of the Citadel Tower, as three C-Sec Officers; two turians and a human, approached the Council's audience area.

"What in the name of..." The same turian remarked in a baffled voice, as he looked up to see what appeared to be a number of bodies laid behind the Council's two remaining podiums.

"Sarge, look down there..." The human officer started in, as he noticed the shattered glass floor below them, and the lifeless body underneath. "It looks like Councilor Anderson."

"You two! Check the bodies up there!" The turian Sergeant yelled out, pointing up towards the bodies laid out behind the podiums and drawing his pistol, as he began to rush off of the audience platform. "I'll check on Anderson."

The other two officers nodded as they drew their pistols, and rushed off of the platform, towards the circular staircase leading to the upper level.

"This is unit five to dispatch." The turian Sergeant said, holding one hand to his ear, and his pistol in the other, as he made his way through a maintenance door leading to a stairwell. "Possible multiple homicide on the Council floor. No sign of the attacker. Requesting emergency medical assistance."

The turian waited for a response, as he flew down the flight of stairs, and forced his way through the maintenance door on the lower floor, exiting out into the small artificial forest.

"Dispatch!" He yelled out again, as he ran over to Anderson's body. "Come in, do you read me?"

A sudden crackle of static came in over his radio. "That you Ralex?" A voice questioned, as the turian bent over to inspect Anderson.

He was strewn over a mound a grass beside a nearby tree. He laid with his head turned to its side, and his neck completely crushed.

"Yeah, it's me..." The turian Sergeant replied with a sigh, bending over and checking the Councilor's body for a pulse, though only doing so as a formality. It was more than evident that he was gone. "The human Councilor's been murdered. Not sure about the other three, but it doesn't look good. No sign of the perp."

"Jesus Christ, what the fuck is going on...?" The stunned voice beckoned over his radio. "Well do what you can. But if you don't find anyone alive, get your asses outta there. That thing's already inside the Citadel, and it looks like it's headin' your way. We've started evacuating"

"Copy that." The turian answered, standing up from his crouched position beside Anderson's body. "Unit five out."

"Uh, Sarge!" The voice of one of his fellow officers called out from the area up top. "You might wanna get up here. I think we got a bit of a problem..."

"What problem?" The Sergeant demanded.

Suddenly, as if something slamming against the Citadel Tower itself, the entire floor trembled violently, knocking the turian off his feet. There was a loud rumbling outside, the bestial roar of steel grinding against steel, as the entire floor continued to shake turbulently.

The turian shook himself off, before looking around the room, as he laid in a prone position on the ground. "What the hell was that?"

* * *

"Tt's not so much a plan, as it is an idea." Gordon began to explain, as everyone looked on anxiously. "But hear me out."

"Now, unless I'm mistaken, most modern human technology is based off of the reverse engineered technology, left behind by the Combine, right?" He asked, shifting his head left and right, as he looked over the crew.

"We've adapted it, and made it our own." Miranda answered, nodding and shrugging her shoulders. "But yes, I suppose much of our technology is based off of tech left behind by the Combine."

"But most species of the galaxy use that same kind of technology." The Commander supplemented, shaking his head with his arms crossed. "Mass relays, FTL drives... Hell, even the Citadel itself. Remember, the Combine were just another indoctrinated race used by the Reapers. What does that have to do with anything?"

"FTL drives, Commander." Gordon asserted eagerly, pointing at Shepard with a big grin. "You said it yourself."

"This ship's drive core..." He continued to elaborate. "Is basically a much smaller version of the Combine's dark energy reactor."

"But we already established that we can't siphon off energy from the drive core to power that thing." Garrus added, shaking his head with a look of doubt in his eyes.

"We can." Gordon affirmed, with the utmost confidence, as he reached behind his back to his weapon's dock. "Using this." He pulled off his gravity gun, and placed it on the table before him.

"You're gravity gun?" Shepard questioned, uncrossing his arms, and placing them on his hips, as an intrigued expression came over his face.

"When I was captured by the Combine." Freeman continued, nodding as he spoke. "I was taken through some sort of energized weapon stripper. I didn't understand how it worked then, but I do now. See, the device created mass effect fields around each of my weapons. That's how it was able to pull them off of me. However... The dark energy radiation given off by the apparatus, had some sort of adverse, yet beneficial effect on the zero point energy manipulator."

"Of course!" Mordin yelled out, exuberantly. "Negatively charged dark energy particles, colliding with positively charged zero point energy field, worked in creating incredibly powerful oscillating kinetic field accelerator... Fascinating."

"Exactly." Gordon concurred with a smile, placing one hand over the gravity gun, as he began to notice the confused faces around the room. "To be perfectly blunt, it supercharged it. It increased its energy capacity and capability at least one hundred fold. Afterwards, it was able to lift, and pull tremendous masses. I could've easily thrown a car around like a softball, or probably even pulled a building off of it's foundation. It was also capable of manipulating organic matter, and even energy itself."

"What does that have to do with the drive core?" Shepard inquired, liking the idea, however still wondering how it was to be executed. "We don't have one of those weapon strippers."

"After I destroyed the Combine Citadel, I had to go back in one last time." Gordon stated, addressing Shepard's concerns. "I had overloaded the reactor, and it was accelerating towards a dark energy flare. Basically, a massive explosion comparable to a small nuclear bomb. I needed to reengage the containment field, or there would've been no chance of making it out of the city. When I stepped inside the reactor chamber, it was bathed in dark energy radiation, which triggered the aforementioned effect in the gravity gun once more."

"As I said before." Gordon continued, with a cold gleam in his eyes, as he looked around at the crew. "The drive core is basically a much smaller version of the Combine's dark energy reactor. Directly exposing the gravity gun to its radiation, should yield the same reaction as before. I might then be able to use it to generate the energy necessary to power the element core. It's a long shot, and I can't guarantee it'll work. But given the situation, I think it's the best chance we've got."

* * *

Harbinger's body began to radiate with red electrical discharge, as the lone Reaper attached itself to a single tower protruding directly out from the center of the gargantuan space station.

"Erihstan, Roberts... Did you find any survi...vors..." Sergeant Ralex stopped in shock, as he rushed up the circular staircase, towards the Council area, where his two fellow officers already stood gazing up at the blackness outside of the window, completely awestruck.

"Is that...?" He began to ask, as he looked out of the blocked window, where brilliant arrays of light formerly shone in, now only a window to the dark figure that had latched itself onto the Citadel Tower.

"Uh huh..." The human officer uttered, nodding his head.

"No survivors?" The turian Sergeant questioned as he looked down at the four bodies laying on the ground, belonging to the other three Councilor's and the human Ambassador.

The human officer gulped before answering, never once averting his eyes from the colossal mass outside the window. "No, sir..."

"Alright..." Ralex said quietly, peering out the window, as he felt himself shiver. "Then let's get the hell outta here."

"Attention. Attention. All persons aboard the Citadel are hereby ordered to evacuate immediately." An automated voice echoed throughout the Citadel. "If you do not own a registered transport, please proceed to the nearest docking station in a calm, orderly manner. This is not a drill."

The message cycled repeatedly as the denizens of the Citadel scrambled frantically to reach their homes, their families, and their ships.

"Debra? Debra!" A man yelled out on the Presidium, frantically looking around as the various species of the galaxy ran by him in a panic. Screams and cries of terror could be heard, as people rushed by him, while he searched for a lost loved one – his wife perhaps, or maybe a daughter. "Someone please... Has anyone seen my Debra?"

"Where we going daddy?" An asari child questioned, as her turian father carried her with one arm, while holding onto his asari spouse's hand with the other.

"We're just going for a little trip, sweetheart." Her father assured, masking his concern with a cheerful disposition.

"Oh, shoot!" His asari wife exclaimed, as she suddenly tugged on his arm, reaching back for a piece of luggage she had dropped.

"Leave it!" Her husband demanded. "We've gotta get to the docking station before there's no more shuttles left!"

"Daddy, I'm scared..." The child stated in a trembling voice, burying her face in her fathers shoulder, and wrapping her small arms around his neck.

"No, no, no. Don't be scared, sweetheart." He comforted her, as he began to bounce her gently on his arm, while still rushing by with the crowd. He looked up at the malevolent figure towering over them, clung to the Citadel Tower. "Daddy would never let anything happen to you."

Ships of all shapes, sizes, and designs began emerging from various spots along the Citadel's arms, as Harbinger's dark silhouette loomed ominously in the center.

Red pulses of energy continued to arch out of his body, as he clutched the Citadel Tower, somehow interfacing with it. For the Reapers, the sky-scrapping tower was merely some sort of control console, and the station itself was their own personal doorway.

As ships continued to flee the Citadel, and citizens within continued to scurry in hopes of reaching the safety of a departing ship, the station's arms unexpectedly began to open further.

The arms had already been opened to their standard positions, when Harbinger latched himself onto the tower, and began his work. But now, slowly they began opening further, like a clenched fist slowly opening to a flattened palm.

Just then, a massive Dreadnought Class ship, with the words "S.S.V. Orizaba" painted on its hull, burst through the nearby mass relay in a streak of blue light.

Following its arrival, a second Dreadnought suddenly burst through. Then a third, and a fourth. Within seconds, an entire armada of ships was poised in Citadel orbit. Six Alliance dreadnoughts stood at the head of an impressive fleet of no less than a hundred combined carriers, cruisers, and frigates.

A haggard Admiral stood on the bridge of the the Orizaba, flagship of the proud Alliance Navy. He wore a highly decorated blue and gold System's Alliance uniform, as he peered out of the forward windows. Watching with a narrow gaze, as the Citadel continued to open while ships fled in terror.

"Shepard was right..." He said to himself, in a deep grizzled voice. "And it looks like we might already be too late."

"Ensign!" He called out in a stern, yet calm voice. "Hail the evacuees. Have them fall back behind us. A lot of those ships are short range vessels, they may need to dock with us. I want all personnel ready and alert to take on passengers."

"Aye sir!" A voice answered respectfully from somewhere in the huge bridge room.

"Captain..." The steadfast Admiral continued.

"Yes sir." A female voice acknowledged, as a light brown haired woman, in her late thirties approached the Admiral, and stood at attention.

"Get the fleet into attack formation. I want all ships to close in to firing position." Admiral Hackett ordered. "As soon as we're in range, I want that monster lit up with everything we've got. We're gonna bring Armageddon down on top of it..."

* * *

"There are multiple entrances to the core the chamber." EDI explained, zooming into the core on the holographic terrain map that had reappeared in the center of the table. "Some of which have been constructed, but most seem to be naturally formed."

"However, the only entrance not found within vorcha occupied territory, is located here." EDI continued, as she zoomed the map over to a small tunnel opening. "A network of naturally formed caverns, two-hundred and twenty-four meters due West."

"Then that's where we'll enter." The Commander asserted.

"Garrus, you and Jacob will lead two assault teams on the surface to take back the vort's village." He ordered, pointing towards the holographic representation on the table. "Rally any able bodied vortigaunts you can, and force your way in through this corridor in the Northwest. You shouldn't find too much resistance until you actually get to the interior of the village, near the control room."

"Right." "Understood" Garrus and Jacob each acknowledged.

"Dr. Freeman..." Shepard began with a hefty sigh, as he looked over at Gordon. "If you think you can pull this off, then deep down I know you can. However, that core chamber will probably be guarded."

"So I'll need two volunteers to go with me and Dr. Freeman to secure the eezo core." Shepard declared, as he looked over his crew. "The rest of you will go with the Jacob and Garrus as part of the assault teams."

"Well, you already know I'm going with you." Tali assured cheerfully, as she placed her hand on Shepard's arm, bringing a small grin to his face.

"Heh, I had a feeling you would." Shepard remarked with a chuckle. "So, who else?"

"I'll go, Commander..." Miranda's voice asserted resolutely.

Gordon looked to her across the table, surprised by her volunteering, but also pleased by it. She turned to face him, and the two shared a humble smile.

"Thank you..." He mouthed the words to her silently, without actually saying them.

"Alright, now we all know our jobs." Commander Shepard affirmed, taking a deep breath as he stood up straight. "The galaxy and every living thing in it is depending on us... This may very well be the last time we see each other face to face like this. So before we go do what we have to do, I just want to say how very proud I am of each and every one of you."

The Commander continued with a stone resolve on his face, speaking with strength and acumen. Pride burned in his eyes, as everyone one in the room gave him their full attention, while chills ran down their backs.

"Maybe it was fate that brought us all here together... Maybe it was divine intervention... Or maybe it was just luck, I don't know. What I do know is this - we're here for a reason, and that reason is to stop the Reapers once and for all."

"I'm not going to lie to you. The chances of us pulling this off are slim, then again they always are. What we face today may be death... It may be extinction... But we also face hope. Hope for a future never again threatened by this evil!"

"History is built on the backs of men and women who fight against all odds for something greater than themselves. And today will be no different. Countless lives are depending on us back home. And it's upto us to make sure we have homes to go back to. It ends here, with us... They want to see what we're really made of? Well I think its about time we show 'em. It's time to take the fight to them! We have to give everything, and we will stop at nothing! We can't fail. We won't... The Reapers have come to end us, but I say it's us who will end them. Today... The Reapers learn the casualties of war."


	32. Chapter 32: Fall of One Rise of Many

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction  
**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 32: The Fall of One. The Rise of Many.**

The Engineering Deck's elevator door slid open, as the orange armor clad figure stepped out, gravity gun in hand. Gordon turned the corner and walked through the lower regions of the ship, making his way into the large room housing the Normandy's impressive drive core.

Gordon's steps slowed as he entered the room, fairly captivated. During his first days on-board the Normandy, he took in every ounce of knowledge he could. Everything from the history and advancement of the human race, to the new golden age of scientific discovery after the rebellion.

Standing here now, looking up at the giant metallic sphere humming loudly before him, he couldn't help be feel somewhat humbled in its presence. Rolling his eyes back down towards his gravity gun, he remembered the task at hand. Perhaps one day, if the fates allowed, he could enjoy the luxury of studying such a pristine modern marvel. But right now, there was a job to be done.

He quickly bent over, gently placing the orange glowing gravity gun on the floor, in the room with the drive core. He then turned around, and briskly walked out of the room.

"EDI." Gordon called out, turning back to face the drive core.

"Yes, Dr. Freeman." Her voice acknowledged, as her glowing blue visage appeared at a nearby holoterminal.

"Seal the drive core compartment." He ordered.

There was a slight mechanical buzz, as a thick metallic door began to slide down from the ceiling, placing a sturdy barrier between Gordon and his gravity gun within the room. The door was equipped with one small porthole sized window, fitted with thick glass. A loud locking noise came, as the door came to a halt – fully closed.

Gordon stood clenching and releasing his fists repeatedly, as he let out a hefty sigh. "Please let this work..." He pleaded silently, to himself.

"Retract the radiation shield." He called out, slowly stepping forward towards the window. As he did so, there was a sudden horizon of light in the room, as the protective spherical shield surrounding the drive core was slowly rolled back.

Gordon put his hand up to his face, squinting as he shielded his eyes. As they slowly adjusted, he could make out some sort of glowing energy mass, bathing the entire room in a celestial white light. Within the center of the glowing mass, a black core pulsated at regular intervals.

Still peering through the window, Gordon elevated himself a bit, trying to get a view of his gravity gun. A grin came over his face, as he watched the dull orange color of the device slowly begin to change into a bright indigo blue. He nodded and smiled as he watched it undergo the very familiar transformation. Continuing to peer through the window, he let it sit for a few moments further, allowing it to soak up all the energy possible.

"That should do it, EDI." Gordon assured as he stepped back from the window. "Reengage the the radiation shield."

As he gave the order, the metallic shielding formerly surrounding the drive core began to slide back into place, and the light bathed room began to dim. A clamping noise came, followed by a loud hiss as the drive core was resealed within the protective shielding.

Following the safe containment of the drive core, the thick door before Gordon slowly began to retract back up into the ceiling. Not waiting for it to grant him full passage, Gordon walked under the elevating door, into the drive core room.

A faint series of clicks began to chirp from Gordon's suit, alerting him to the presence of the non-harmful levels of radiation still lingering in the room. With a mild grin on his face, he bent over to pick up his newly changed gravity gun, now teeming with a brilliant blue glow.

"Dr. Freeman." Gordon was surprised to hear a familiar voice suddenly address him. Gordon turned to find himself face to face with his salarian scientist colleague.

"Dr. Solus, yes." Gordon replied respectfully, as he took hold of the gravity gun. "What can I do for you?"

"Realize yours is an adept intellectual mind." Mordin began, in his usual fast talking manner. "Quite refreshing to be honest. So difficult to find peers of my prowess in the company of the crew. But back to topic at hand. Felt compelled to ask..." He stopped and took in a deep breath before continuing. "You realize what you intend to do - possible, as well as definite consequences of your course of action?"

Gordon looked down and nodded his head. A slight grimace came over his expression as he clenched his lips tightly.

"I do..." Gordon replied humbly. "As far as the possible repercussions go, I do think this is the best chance we've got. And as for the definite consequences... Well, I realized those too..."

There was a silence between the two, a chill setting in as they bowed their heads.

"Listen, about what you said." Gordon eventually continued. "I appreciate the sentiment, Doctor. And it's been a pleasure to work with you as well. I've always been lucky enough to rub elbows with the sharpest minds around. Despite of the era I'm in, heh..." Gordon chuckled with a smile.

"Well then." Mordin smiled back at Gordon, giving him a confident nod, and extending his hand to be shaken. "Good luck."

"You too." Gordon responded, as the two shared a firm handshake.

* * *

"Admiral Hackett, sir!" A crewman yelled out, on the bridge of the Orizaba, as the entire Systems Alliance Fleet closed in on the invaded Citadel. "We are in range, all ships are in firing position. Should I give the order to engage?"

Admiral Steven Hackett stood peering out of the colossal dreadnought's large forward windows, as the Citadel continued to open before him. The Citadel's five arms, which formed the standard cylindrical shape of the station, had now nearly completely opened. All five arms spread apart like fan blades, with the dark shadow of a Reaper still clinging on to the tower in the center.

For all their power, and might. For all their strength, and force. Reapers we're still mortal beings, despite their proclamations to the contrary. Harbinger himself bared the wounds of his battle with the small fleet of ships that stood in defense of the Citadel. Large areas of his hull we're compromised, having been completely obliterated in the blast. A few of the Reaper's tentacle-like appendages were also missing. Some more than others. His wounds serving as a testament to his mortality.

"Has the Citadel been completely evacuated?" The Admiral questioned, as he continued to look out at the newly shaped Citadel.

"Negative, sir." The same crewman answered. "Vessels are continuing to leave the station. We are still detecting high concentrations of life on board, and ships are still docking with our carriers. Should I delay the attack order, sir?"

"Damn it!" Hackett uttered under his breath, as he shook his head.

"No." He ordered aloud, as he turned to face the crew members on the bridge. "We don't have anymore time. Have all ships concentrate fire on the Reaper. Thanix and plasma cannons only – I want as few civilian casualties as possible."

"Aye sir!" The crewman responded assertively, as he turned to his station, with the rest of the bridge crew bustling around him. "Viper one to squadron command, you are clear to engage. Restrict fire to Plasma and thanix cannons. Fire at will. Fire at will."

Cannons, in a wide array of sizes, began to extend from their compartments on the hulls of the various ships of the Alliance Fleet. The dark tunnels of their barrels slowly illuminated, as powerful charges ignited within them, and then burst forth with incredible speed.

Admiral Hackett turned back towards the window, as a brilliant wave of blue light came pouring in, and a massive barrage of burning blue fireballs hurdled on course towards the Reaper in the center of the fanned Citadel.

The Alliance Fleet was spread around the Citadel, in a standard battle crescent formation. The black void of space was lit up as a rapid torrent of blue hellfire rained upon Harbinger.

Within moments, the Reaper was engulfed in cerulean flame, as hundreds of Alliance warships unleashed a maelstrom of destruction.

The Admiral's cold eyes burned, as he watched the top of the Citadel tower erupt into a ball of fire, taking Harbinger's place. But through the flames, the stubborn silhouette of the malevolent creature persisted.

"Fire another volley." Hackett ordered calmly, as he took a deep breath, and held his head high.

With the order, came a second wave of blue hellfire, raining against the Reaper. Harbinger remained prevalent in his work, despite the energy blasts colliding with his black metallic body. Suddenly, one of the blasts fired from the Orizaba itself, pierced his hull, and impaled him straight through.

"Direct hit!" One of the crew members on the bridge of the Orizaba shouted out excitedly, accompanied by the loud clapping of his hands. The rest of the crew on the bridge joined his enthusiasm, erupting into an array of cheers, howls, and applause as they watched their energy lance pierce the hide of the Reaper. Only one among them kept his composure, as his gaze narrowed, and he continued to stare out of the forward windows. Despite the gaping hole now in his body, Harbinger still had not fallen.

Suddenly, something began to happen. The rings that composed the base of the Citadel, namely the Presidium, suddenly began to move and break away from their stationary locations. The various bridges, walkways, gardens, and other fabricated structures along the Presidium started to crumble, as the the two massive rings began to spin in a gyroscopic motion, resembling that of the mass relays.

"What in the name of..." Hackett's eyes narrowed, as he looked on. The rings began to swing around faster, and faster. The acceleration was slow, for two rings of such tremendous girth, but their velocity was steadily increasing.

"Have the fleet to divert all non-critical power to their main weapons!" Hackett demanded, recognizing the threat of what was to come. "We need to take that thing down NOW!"

"Aye sir!"

The lights on the bridge of the Orizaba flickered and dimmed as power was rerouted to the weapons, and the same order went out to every ship in the Fifth Fleet.

Citadel orbit was once again lit up with the intense blue light of the Fleet's barrage, as the torrent smashed against Harbinger once more, tearing through his hull multiple times. The dark figure let forth a monstrous roar, as the plasma blasts tore through him.

"Concentrate all fire!" The Admiral ordered. "I want a steady barrage until that thing is dead."

As the plasma blasts continued to rain down on the lone Reaper, the rings around the Citadel's base continued to accelerate in speed. Just then, their gyroscopic turning motion began to yield a strange reaction. From the center of the rings, where Harbinger stood mounted upon the Citadel Tower, energy began arching out. Electrical discharge from the tower, began to make contact with the rings spinning around it, seemingly causing them to rotate even faster.

A storm began to brew from the base of the Citadel, as yet another volley of plasma fire rained down on Harbinger. The beast roared in agony once more, as the battery shredded through his body. Suddenly, Harbinger's grip on the tower grew weak. The wreckage of his massive, mangled body fell forward, off of the tower and into the hyper-accelerated spinning rings below. Like a creature caught in a turbine, he was obliterated instantly – torn to shreds in the centrifuge.

The bridge of the Orizaba erupted into cheers and applause, at the success of their mission, watching as the Reaper was utterly destroyed before their eyes. The excitement of the crew was shared by the rest of the ship, as well as the other vessels in the fleet, while they watched pieces of Reaper debris large and small get hurled off into space. But again, only one among them kept his composure as he continued to gaze out of the forward windows.

The cheers began to dwindle, as the attention was drawn back to the Citadel once more. The five arms remained spread completely apart, like a giant mechanical star. At the center of the Citadel, the tower continued to release bolts of electrical discharge, making contact with the spinning blurs of mass around them. Just then, a light began to flicker from the core, pulsating as it grew larger and larger.

"We're too late..." The haggard Admiral uttered, taking a deep breath as he stood up straight with his hands behind his back. A shiver ran down his spine, but he did his best to hide it, as he clenched his fists behind him. "It's happening."

* * *

Dr. Freeman and Dr. Solus walked down the Normandy's airlock ramp, towards a large group of vortigaunts convened alongside Commander Shepard and the rest of his crew. Each of which stood with their respective weapons primed and ready. Most of them wielded assault rifles, but a few had special preferences to shotguns or sub-machine guns.

"Alright, so all of you remember what to do?" Shepard questioned, as he affixed a dark gray helmet, with a red stripe running down the center, onto his head.

"We got it, Shepard." Garrus assured, as he removed the safety from his sniper rifle. "You guys just make sure you get that oversized power guzzler started. We'll handle the rest."

Tali and Miranda waited beside the Commander, as the two scientists reached the bottom of the ramp, while the vortigaunts stood agglomerated behind the semi-circle formed by Shepard's two squads. A small group of vortigaunts would accompany each of them, in the assault to retake the vort's primary settlement.

On the left, Jacob held his shotgun, standing before Samara and Grunt, as Mordin joined his group. Samara conversed with a few of the vortigaunts behind them, while grunt torqued his neck from side to side restlessly; clearly eager for battle.

And on the right, Garrus clutched his sniper rifle, pointing it downward in an idle position, while Thane, Jack, and Legion stood behind him. As Thane and Jack whispered among themselves, Legion simply held his own sniper rifle in a similar fashion, awaiting the order to move out.

"Dr. Freeman." The Commander started, turning to face Gordon, as he joined them. "Did it work? We're you able to charge up the gravity gun?"

"See for yourself." Gordon nodded with a grin, as he twisted himself around, giving Shepard his back, and pointing over his shoulder with a thumb at the glowing blue apparatus mounted onto his weapon's dock. "In its current state, it's extremely powerful. Capable of manipulating tremendous masses, organic matter, and even raw energy."

"Good." Shepard affirmed contently. "It'll make a handy weapon."

"Unfortunately, no..." Gordon explained, shaking his head with a sigh. "It's impossible to predict just how long this overcharge will last, or exactly how much energy will be needed to ignite the element core. I have to conserve every last bit of the gravity gun's energy, which means I can't afford to use it as a weapon."

"Well in that case, let's just hope it works." Shepard added, grinning confidently and shrugging his shoulders."Alright, everyone move out. And good luck."

Jacob, Garrus, and the rest of Shepard's team gave him a firm nod, as they turned and jogged away, with the vortigaunts following.

"Hey, Freeman." A voice called out, as they marched away, grabbing Gordon's attention. He looked up to find Garrus lingering behind, looking in his direction.

"You make sure you get this thing started, alright?" Garrus implored, giving Gordon a stern, but friendly nod. "Good luck down there, egghead."

"Heh..." Gordon chuckled at the remark, and nodded back at Garrus with a somewhat forced optimism. "I'll do my best. Good luck, Garrus."

As the crew marched away, Gordon turned back to face Tali, Miranda, and the Commander, who would be delving into the depths of Xen with him.

"EDI said the underground entrance would be due west." Shepard stated as he looked at a small, holographic terrain map on his omni-tool. "So... That way." He affirmed, as he pointed into the distance, in a direction perpendicular to his crews.

"Well..." Gordon began with a hefty sigh, clasping his hands together with a clap, and raising his eyebrows. "Let's go see if that M.I.T. education finally pays off..."

* * *

"Captain..." Admiral Hackett called out, with a profound sense of dismay. As he did so, Captain Erin Donaghy, the acting Captain of the Orizaba approached him, and stood at attention.

She was a tall, slender woman, with short, amber colored hair, and brown eyes. Her own blue and gold uniform was nearly as decorated as the Admiral's. And she held her head high, with her chin jutted forward; a poise that commanded a high echelon of respect.

"Yes, Admiral?" She acknowledged, as she stood slightly behind him, watching him gaze out of the window at the beacon of light that the Citadel had become.

"What does that look like to you?" He asked, motioning with his head out the window, towards the former galactic hub. The rings at its base were spinning at incredible speeds now, around a bright pulsating core that had consumed the Citadel Tower.

"It looks like a Mass Relay, sir." Captain Donaghy answered decidedly.

"Right..." Admiral Hackett affirmed, nodding with a tinge of what she perceived to be fear in his voice. "And I'll bet whatever comes out of that relay won't be friendly."

"What are your instructions, sir?" She questioned respectfully, locking her hands behind her back. "Should I order the Fleet to open fire, and destroy it?"

"Hmph..." Hackett released a despaired chuckle under his breath, as he bowed his head. "No, people are still evacuating. And besides, it would take the firepower of a hundred fleets to destroy a station that size."

"Uh, Captain ma'am!" A crewman at his terminal called out nervously, as he looked on at his screen. "I think you need to see this."

"What is it, Ensign?" Donaghy demanded as she turned, and rushed over to him.

"The energy given off by that thing just hit several major energy spikes..." The panicked crewman informed, breathing heavily as beads of sweat began to roll down his brow. "And according to these readings, if it's anything like a normal mass relay, that means something really big is going to be coming through any minute. A lot of really big somethings..."

The Captain's mouth dropped, as she looked on at the Ensign's screen, shaking her head with a combination of shock and dread on her face.

"Orders, ma'am?" The Ensign questioned, looking up at her.

"Have the fleet spread out, for a wider attack radius." She ordered, gulping at something in her throat, doing her best to fortify her resolve. "I want Eagle and Bravo Squadrons in position for a rear flank formation."

"Cancel that order!" The Admiral's commanding voice resounded on the bridge, causing Captain Donaghy to look up him in a bewildered state.

"Sir?" She questioned, shaking head and shrugging her shoulders slightly, as he walked over to her.

"Captain, do not forget that we've taken on thousands of evacuees." Admiral Hackett asserted as he came up to the Captain. "Not to mention that we are in escort of perhaps millions more. Our first duty must be to get these people to safety."

"Aye, sir..." Captain Donaghy reluctantly accepted, respectfully saluting her superior. "What are your orders, Admiral?"

"Plot a relay jump back to Earth." The haggard Admiral ordered, turning slightly to glimpse out of the window.

"Earth, sir?" The Captain questioned dubiously.

"Arcturus can't handle this many refugees." Hackett affirmed, turning back to face the Captain. "Plus we need to regroup, and obtain whatever reinforcements we can." The Admiral explained, as he assessed the situation. "Open a communication through all civic channels. Tell them they are to accompany us through the relay, to the Sol System. And make it fast."

"Ensign!" The Captain yelled out instantaneously, after receiving the Admiral's orders. "You heard the Admiral. Do it."

"Aye, ma'am! Right away!" The Ensign assured as he began working feverishly at his terminal.

Captain Donaghy turned back to find the Admiral gazing out of the window once more, gently shaking his head from side to side. She slowly approached him, as the ship along with the rest of the fleet began to turn, with the nearby mass relay as their destination.

"Sir, do you think more of those things are going to be coming through?" She questioned in a hushed voice, as she came to stand behind him.

The Admiral closed his eyes, and took a deep breath before answering. "Captain, I know more are going to be coming through. And if it took our entire fleet to take down just one damaged Reaper... Then our Judgment Day may very well be at hand..."

* * *

"This must be it." Shepard stated reassuringly, as the four approached a cave passage carved into a rock wall.

"Look at this." Miranda said, pointing to a small crystal protruding out of the rock wall, next to the doorway. "It looks like one of those crystal mechanisms the vortigaunts use."

As the four observed it, they took a look around the cave passage, finding a large alien metallic door partially exposed at the top of the entrance way, on a track.

"This isn't a naturally formed tunnel..." Gordon declared, expressing the realization that they had all come to. "The vortigaunts must've built it. EDI was mistaken."

"Well, let's hope she wasn't mistaken about where it leads us." Tali stated uneasily, crossing her arms as she shook her head.

"Only one way to find out." Shepard affirmed, as he brought up his omni-tool flashlight, and shined it into the cave passage. Three more beams of light suddenly lit up, as they walked into the tunnel to begin their sojourn into the dark depths of Xen's underground.

* * *

"So are you guys ready for this?" Jacob asked one of the nearby vortigaunts as the large group moved forward, across the rocky terrain towards the vortigaunt village.

"The situation is most dire..." The vortigaunt responded, as they marched forth. "But we have vowed to give our lives to stop the beasts and their allies. We are grateful to the Free Man and to his kin for their most needed assistance."

"Heh, we've been in tougher scrapes than this." Jacob affirmed with a confident grin. "Don't worry, we'll get your homes back. And hopefully wipe out the Reapers in the process."

"How much further is it?" Garrus questioned the same vortigaunt from the head of the group, turning his head but keeping a steady pace forward.

"Our dwellings lie just over that ridge." The vortigaunt pointed out. "Beyond the place where the two walls end."

The group traversed a large slope and eventually came to a narrow passage, formed by rock walls on either side, encompassing the vortigaunt village within. The vortigaunt village was geographically fortified, surrounded by canyon walls on all sides, with passages like this being the only real way in, similar to the one they used to gain entrance to the settlement the first time.

Garrus raised a hand, signaling for the rest of the group to wait, as he slowly walked forward with his sniper clutched firmly. Walking further into the passage, he took a crouched position as he was given a clear vantage point of the vortigaunt village.

Leaning against the wall, and laying low he raised his sniper rifle and peered down the scope. He heard light footsteps approaching, as Jacob came up beside him in the same crouched position.

"See anything?" Jacob questioned in whisper, as he peered out at the village, spotting some definite movement in the distance.

"Have a look." Garrus said, as he handed Jacob his sniper rifle. "Few hundred yards straight down there, past those huts on the right."

Jacob raised the rifle's scope to his eye, as Garrus pointed out the direction for him. He could make out the movement of multiple vorcha in the distance, past a large cluster of vort dwellings. But it was impossible to determine their numbers, as the view was largely obscured by the various vortigaunt structures in the way.

Lowering the rifle, Jacob jerked his head backwards, motioning to Garrus that they should reconvene with the rest of the group.

"What are we waiting for?" Grunt demanded, pounding his fists together repeatedly, as he watched Garrus and Jacob return. "Are we going to hunt some vorcha vermin, or not?"

"They're up there." Jacob assured the group, as he handed the rifle back to Garrus, and pulled out his own shotgun. "On the far side of the village, past most of the little huts and stuff. But we can't tell how many there are, or how well armed."

"We would do wise to assume the worst." Thane commented, holding his sub-machine gun with one hand, while clenching the other. "Well armed, and highly numerous."

"How bad can a bunch'a vorcha be?" Jack scoffed arrogantly, as she raised her hands, igniting them in a brilliant blue glow. "Just lemme go splatter 'em against the wall. It'll be a hell of a mess though."

"We should not underestimate them, siha." Thane replied objectively, placing his hand gently on the rear of her shoulder. "As incompetent and inept as the vorcha are, their numbers can more than make them a force to be reckoned with."

"True." Mordin interjected abruptly. "Despite maladroit nature, vorcha possess the fastest reproduction rate of any known sentient species. Term used loosely, of course."

"If the Free Man's allies would heed." One of the vortigaunts stepped forward, holding a small ball shaped object in his hands. "Perhaps we may provide a suitable method to offset the enemy horde's numbers."

As he finished, the vortigaunt gave the object in his hand a firm squeeze, releasing a light mist into the air from within it. The ground suddenly began to rumble from below them, startling the team a bit. Unexpectedly, a gaping hole opened up on the ground behind them, as a number of large, green, insect-like creatures burst forth.

"What the hell are those things!" Garrus exclaimed, as he backed away and took aim with his rifle. Before he pulled the trigger, he noticed that the creatures did not attempt to attack them, they simply followed the ball in hand around obediently.

"Antlions..." Jacob stated, cautiously keeping his distance, although intrigued. "We've got 'em back on Earth, but... This is the first time I've ever seen one up close."

"The myrmadont's aromatic pheropods." The vort before them began to explain. "Used for the purposes of antlion cultivation. Although not particularly strong, they are numerous and loyal."

"Ugly little suckers, aren't they?" Grunt snickered with a grin, as he extended his hand to touch one. Suddenly, the antlion he was reaching out to snapped at him, forcing him to quickly retract his hand.

"Hey!" He yelled out angrily, after nearly getting sampled. "Mean too... Heh, I like 'em."

"Well... Looks like we just got a home team advantage." Garrus assured, nodding his head confidently with a sly grin.

"Alright, Jacob – You and your squad take most of the vortigaunts, and make your way around to the other side. Use the huts for cover." Garrus instructed, going over their plan of attack one last time. "A few of us will stay back here, and use those bugs to draw their fire and cover your approach. Once you're in flanking position, we'll close in on both sides and finish 'em off."

"Sounds like a plan." Jacob nodded in accordance, as the two groups began to divide. "Lets make it happen."

* * *

As the last of the lingering vessels continued to trail off, through the mass relay, following the Alliance Fleet back to Earth, the center of what used to be the Citadel continued to spin and pulsate rapidly.

There was suddenly a new found tranquility in Citadel Orbit. No more war ships, no more barricades, no more fleets. The opened Citadel hung suspended peacefully in the black void of the abyss. Abandoned and forsaken by the millions that had only hours ago, tread its gleaming halls. Stars twinkled, burning brightly billions of miles away, and the naturally occurring energetic events of the cosmos carried on, as usual.

All of a sudden, tearing through space in a blue streak of light, a recognizable black, metallic figure erupted out of the core of the newly opened Citadel. Four eyes burning, like yellow flames, a massive, sleek, mechanical body, and the darkest of intentions. Another Reaper had come forth.

As quickly as it had torn through into this realm, from wherever it was that its kind came from, a second ribbon of light ushered in the arrival of a second Reaper. And then a third. And a fourth. Within a matter of moments, an entire Reaper Fleet of thousands... Perhaps hundreds of thousands, or more cascaded across the star woven tapestry of space.

The beast at the head of the massive fleet roared angrily, communicating with the others in its own native idiom.

"Our success is assured. Begin the culling, I shall attend to the nuisances personally."

As he did so, a few of its brethren roared in response. Just then, their communion being over, the Reaper at the head of the dark armada shot forward; thrusting itself straight towards the mass relay that the inhabitants of the Citadel, and the proud Alliance Navy had utilized only moments ago. As it made contact with the relay, there was a surge of energy, and a burst of light, as it disappeared into a brilliant blue streak, with the rest of the sinister fleet following closely behind, en route to their alternate destination.

* * *

"Ugh..." Joker groaned, as he slouched down in his chair, rubbing his face.

"Problems, Mr. Moreau?" EDI questioned nonchalantly, from her holographic terminal.

"No, I just..." Joker began, as he leaned forward, and stretched his arms. "It's just the same old story, you know? Shepard and the team go off to try and save the galaxy, while I wait on ship... I mean don't get me wrong, I don't wanna be out there with 'em. I just wish there was something more I could do to lend a hand. I Feel so damn helpless here..."

"That and the fact that this is somehow boring, and incredibly nerve racking at the same time..." Joker added cynically, nodding with his eyes rolled back. "...Kinda makes these the suckiest moments of the mission."

"You're a good pilot, Jeff." EDI reassured Joker, who was slouched way down in his chair, with his arms hanging over the sides of his armrests. "The best in Citadel Space. At least, according to you."

"What are you talking about, 'according to me'?" Joker exclaimed arrogantly, as he sat up and leaned forward in his chair. "That's a stone cold fact of life. Why, I could fly this baby through hell in a..."

"Jeff..." EDI suddenly interjected, cutting off the bragging Joker. "I have deciphered multiple encrypted military transmissions."

"Uh, huh. And?"

"According to their communications, the Citadel has been opened..." EDI affirmed, with what some could perceive to be human fear, in her artificial voice.

"EDI, we know the Citadel was reopened..." Joker replied, shrugging off her information. "Why else do you think Shepard, Freeman, and the rest of 'em are out there trying to get this weird machine working again? So that if Harbinger manages to open that portal to Dark Space, we have something to..."

"No, Jeff." EDI rebutted assertively, interrupting Joker once again. "You don't understand. The Citadel has been opened... As a relay. Harbinger has succeeded."

Joker was silent for a moment, a chill running down his spine, as he furrowed his brow with a plethora of shock, fear, and despair etched on his face.

"Shit..."

* * *

"You're kidding me!" Gordon exclaimed as the four walked with a brisk pace, through the dimly lit tunnel. Their flashlights provided most of the lighting, however the tunnel itself was not completely mired in darkness, as a few naturally glowing crystalline protrusions lined the inside of the tunnel walls. Likely placed there by those who carved out the passage.

"The Space-Needle... Really?" Gordon questioned, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yep, completely destroyed." Shepard answered, he and Tali walking just in front of Gordon and Miranda. "It was leveled, to make room for a Combine base of operations."

"Geez..." Gordon uttered in a shocked voice, with a tinge of lament. "I never knew."

"Oh, don't worry." Miranda assured, as the four continued forward. "They rebuilt it a few decades after the rebellion ended."

"Did they?" Gordon asked, raising his eyebrows with a gleam of relief.

The further down they went, the hotter, and more humid it became. Gordon wiped the beads of sweat off his brow, with the back of his glove as Shepard wedged his hand under his helmet's visor to wipe away the excess sweat beginning to condense around his eyes. But they were all enthralled enough in conversation to take any particular notice.

"Yeah, but a lot of the other historical landmarks didn't survive, and were never restored." The Commander added, with a bit of a scowl on his face.

"For example?" Gordon questioned, his brow furrowed.

"Eh, Mount Rushmore for one." The Commander answered.

"Stonehenge as well..." Miranda continued, shrugging her shoulders as Gordon simply sighed and shook his head.

"What about the Statue of Liberty?" Freeman questioned, as the passageway down, began to grow steeper and darker.

"Yeah, that's still around." Shepard assured confidently. "The Combine never bothered with it for some reason."

"Hmm..." Gordon hummed under his breath, pondering to himself.

"Your species is lucky." Tali chimed in, with a hint of sorrow in her voice. "At least you managed to take your world back, which is more than can be said about us quarians..."

"Isn't there something your people can do?" Gordon asked, with genuine concern. "I mean, you told me this war took place some... three hundred years ago. Surely there can be some sort of peace with these geth machines. Heck, you seem to get along just fine with the one we have on board."

"Heh, Legion and I didn't always get along." Tali replied with a chuckle. "Just ask John."

"It's true." Shepard affirmed, grinning and nodding with his eyes shut. "I once caught her holding him at gunpoint. But they seem to have worked out most of their differences. Lucky for him."

"Hehehe..." There was a mutual laughter among the four, as they pressed forward. Suddenly, as they walked, they came across a smaller tunnel opening, intersecting with theirs. As they approached it, they could distinctly make out a rapid series of skittering noises emanating from within.

"Look at this." Tali urged, crouching down to the small opening which measured only about four feet in height.

There was a strange sort of yellowish, slimy coating around the small entrance and inside, the larger chamber bustled with activity.

"What are those strange green creatures in there?" Tali asked, as the four gathered around, observing the greenish yellow, smoothed skinned, insect-like creatures inside the den.

"Antlions." Gordon affirmed, as he shined his light into the hole. "Those are just the workers, though. I don't see any soldiers. As long as we don't bother them, they shouldn't bother us."

"But, we'd better keep moving." He urged, as he stood up and drew his attention forward, away from the small cavern opening. "If there's a den, there could be a nest nearby. And where there's a nest, there's bound to be a guard."

"The antlion dens must've been what confused EDI's readings." Miranda informed, as she stood up and the group continued on. "All these separate tunnel networks. That's why she thought this tunnel was naturally formed."

"Commander." Joker's voice unexpectedly called out, over Shepard's radio. "Come in, do you copy?"

"I read you, Joker." Shepard answered, as he raised his hand, pressing two fingers to the side of his helmet, near his ear.

"Shepard, we've got a major problem." Joker's voice continued, in a despaired state. "We just received word that Harbinger opened the Citadel Relay."

"He what?" The Commander questioned calmly, despite the uneasy feeling that suddenly crept into the pit of his stomach.

"The portal to Dark Space, Commander." Joker reiterated, with a sigh. "It's been opened."

Shepard was silent for a moment, as he looked around, noticing the concern etched on the faces of his team mates.

"Alright, thank you Joker." He finally answered, breathing a heavy exasperated sigh. "Shepard out."

"Well, we all knew it was bound to happen..." The Commander continued, releasing his hand from his helmet, and looking down towards the floor. "Our only hope now is to get this thing working again..."

"Come on..." He said, as he raised his head, and forced a confident grin. "Let's keep moving."

The small rocky planet of Xen appeared utterly at peace, amidst the celestial twilight of space. Bathed in a unique green glow given off naturally by this docile, yet dangerous exotic planet. Simply by gazing upon it, one could not infer the series of fateful events that would be destined to take place here. The apocalyptic rise or fall of entire civilizations to be determined by what happens upon this lowly rock.

And in the distance... In a nearby sector of unexplored space, a massive mass relay lays in a similar state of peace. Dormant, and abeyant, it has remained here, undisturbed for thousands of years, awaiting the return of its creators. Suddenly, a flicker of light, a spark of energy, and its two colossal rings slowly begin to spin once more.


	33. Chapter 33: The First Strike

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction  
**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 33: The First Strike**

The mass relays; mysterious gateways to the galaxy. Portals across the vast, immeasurable reaches of the universe. In a far off region of unexplored space, far beyond any known galactic civilization, a single relay begins to sputter with life. Its colossal twin rings, slowly begin to churn; breaking apart the ice and encrustations formed over centuries of inactivity.

As they turn, slowly at first but steadily accelerating; light begins to flicker and arch out, making contact with the core. A dim blue light begins to pulsate, glowing brighter and brighter as each of the rings begins to spin faster and faster. Suddenly, the core flares up. A blinding, blue light spills out from the relay, as the rings continue to accelerate, hurling the once encrusted debris out into oblivion.

The core of the relay strobes feverishly, as the rings, now little more than blurs of mass, continue to spin rapidly, in a gyroscopic motion. All of a sudden, sailing in on a stream of cerulean light, a gargantuan beast erupts forth. Its smooth, metallic body gleaming like black onyx, as it tucks its tentacle-like appendages beneath itself. Its four yellow eyes burning with the semblance of a nether worldly demon, as it begins to traverse the stars towards the small, luminescent, vortigaunt homeworld.

* * *

"By the goddess... What happened here?" Admiral Lidanya beckoned, as she stood in shock on the bridge of the Destiny Ascension, gazing out of the forward windows at the abandoned, star-shaped Citadel.

The Ascension, the Citadel Fleet's flagship dreadnought, was the first vessel out of the nearby mass relay, overlooking Citadel orbit. As the various other turian designed dreadnoughts and carriers of the fleet continued to pour through, expecting to find a battle, their various crews were struck dumbfounded, finding just the opposite.

There was no battle here, no conflict. Only the eerie tranquility, and looming debris of what had transpired mere hours ago. The Citadel was completely abandoned. And it hung open, suspended against the cosmos with its core pulsating brightly.

"Admiral, I am detecting no life signs on-board." An asari crew member on the bridge informed, as she worked her controls. "And the Citadel itself is emitting some strange energy signatures, not unlike those of a mass relay."

"That's because it is a mass relay." An unexpected, male voice chimed in, resonating from one of the holoterminals on the bridge. Admiral Lidanya quickly turned to face its source, as a static mired silhouette slowly began to appear.

"Ensign!" The Admiral called out angrily, as the darkened visage of a man sitting in a chair with eyes aglow materialized, his legs crossed and a lingering mist of smoke encompassing his head. "I didn't authorize you to open a communications link. Who is that?"

"Uh... I... I didn't ma'am!" The accused asari ensign replied nervously, feverishly working her controls to repel the incoming transmission, but having little success in doing so. "The signal hacked into our systems... I can't shut it off."

"Trace it." Lidanya ordered, furrowing her brow in anger, as she turned to face the newly manifested holographic visage on the bridge.

His face was concealed, obscured by shadows as two steely blue eyes pierced the silhouette. He sat shaking the excess ash off a cigarette, before raising it back to his shrouded face and inhaling.

"Whoever you are... You are in violation of Citadel Law." The Admiral began sternly. "I demand that you identify yourself immediately."

"I'm no one..." The clandestine figure replied, with a puff of smoke. "Just think of me as an illusion, Admiral. An illusion who has graciously appeared to inform you of the situation at hand..."

"What do you know about all this?" Admiral Lidanya demanded angrily, as she stepped closer towards the holographic silhouette, her attention enticed.

"Isn't it obvious to you, Admiral?" The illusive shadow questioned, pulling his cigarette away from his face. "The Reapers have arrived."

"Reapers?" Lidanya exclaimed with a mixture of shock and disbelief. "You can't be serious... That's impossible!"

"No, you told yourself that was impossible." The illusion before her asserted. "All of you did. The Fleet, the Council – all of you took comfort in the notion that the Reapers were nothing more than a myth... Stories told by spacers to scare their children..."

Admiral Lidanya stood up straight and took a deep breath, as she clenched her fists tightly, not noticing they were slightly trembling. She felt a shiver run down her back, as she listened to cryptic figure before her explain, deep down knowing what he said to be true.

"The Alliance Fleet arrived shortly after a lone Reaper managed to infiltrate the Citadel." The shadowy visage continued, dusting the excess ash off of his cigarette. "They we're, however, too late to stop it from turning the Citadel into a gateway for the rest of its kind."

"Where's the Alliance Fleet now?" Lidanya questioned, in a much more docile tone of voice. "And what about the residents of the Citadel? I don't see any damage to the station itself."

"The Alliance Fleet escorted the Citadel evacuees back to Earth." The illusion answered, speaking with a puff of smoke. "Unless I'm mistaken, and I rarely am... The Reapers will likely follow. And I suggest you do the same."

Admiral Lidanya bowed her head slightly, gulping at something in her throat as she appraised the situation. Clenching her lips, she began to nod gently.

"If Earth should fall Admiral, every world in civilized space will systematically follow until there's nothing left..." The silhouette affirmed sternly, crushing out his cigarette on his armrest ashtray. "I suggest you do everything in your power to prevent that from happening... Just as I will do everything in mine."

As quickly, and mysteriously as the clandestine figure had appeared, the hologram suddenly dissipated into a flicker of static, leaving an unsettling chill behind.

"Ensign..." The Admiral called out benignly, still staring at the spot where the illusive hologram stood. "Did you get a fix on the signal?"

"Uh... Y-Yes ma'am... I did..." The nervous asari ensign stuttered in response, shaking her head dubiously. "According to our trace, the signal originated from the center of a red giant in the Argos Rho cluster..."

"What?" The Admiral turned with a jerk to face the ensign, her eyes narrowed in bewilderment.

"It's also coming from the Citadel itself..." The ensign continued, looking up at the Admiral with a shamed look on her face. "And from right here on-board the Ascension..."

"What are you saying, ensign?" Lidanya queried frustratedly.

"It's ghosting us ma'am..." The ensign answered nervously, fearing reprimand. "I can't trace it."

The Admiral was silent for a moment, breathing deeply as she reflected on the words of the unnamed, untraceable manifestation.

"Helmsman..." She called out, as she turned to face the front of the ship, and walked towards her seat on the bridge. "Plot a relay jump for the fleet to the human homeworld. And make it fast."

* * *

A rapid fusillade of clacking sounds were heard as the underground team prepped their weapons, with their backs pressed against the wall. Gordon and Miranda stood on the left hand side of a large doorway leading into the vortigaunt built, anti-reaper weapon's core. He clutched his M-22 Eviscerator Class Shotgun tightly, making sure a full thermal clip was locked firmly into the chamber, as Miranda prepared her favored submachine gun.

On the opposite side of the large arch shaped doorway, Shepard knelt at the edge of the passage, looking in as he held his M-76 Revenant Class Assault Rifle, with Tali pressing her back against the wall beside him.

The doorway itself was about the size of an average garage door opening, with what looked to be the edge of a thick, metallic gate protruding from the top of the passage, on a rudimentary track.

"Looks like it's only about nine or ten of em." Shepard stated quietly, as he peered into the massive chamber housing the element core. He counted a small number of vorcha foot troops, casually conversing among themselves, completely oblivious to the team's presence.

"We should be able to use those two rock formations on either side for cover." Gordon assured, as he peered into the chamber, and surveyed the landscape. Further into the cavernous room, he spotted two thick, boulderesque stalagmites conveniently placed on opposite sides of the pathway leading to the element core.

"Good." Shepard acknowledged, looking up at Gordon with a nod. "And we know just the thing to get their attention..." He stood up, and turned to face Tali with a conniving grin, as she materialized her omni-tool.

"Argh!" One of the vorcha dregs snarled angrily, as he paced around in front of the immense subterranean core. "This stupid! Why we have to guard big rock?"

"You stupid!" One of his cohorts yelled in response, giving him a hard shove, and causing him to hiss angrily. "Master say we guard rock. No let humans near."

"Ugh..." The complaining vorcha groaned again, as he continued to pace around. "Me no like this... Rock stupid..."

Just then, a whirring, holographic sphere hovered in from the short corridor leading to the bickering vorcha, and the element core. It wafted through the air gracefully, splashing a vivid white light as it glided along.

"What that?" One of the dregs demanded, as he readied his rifle and aimed it at the approaching orb of light. As it hovered ever closer, whirring and buzzing, he was suddenly captivated by it, causing him to slowly lower his weapon and his guard.

"It pretty..." One of the mesmerized vorcha declared, as it approached the small group; each of them completely enthralled by this fascinating, mystical object. Their weapons down, and their jaws agape, they slowly formed a semi-circle around it, as it bobbed up and down before them, floating on a sea of air.

Suddenly, an unexpected jolt of electrical energy shot out from the drone, striking three of the nearby vorcha, stunning them and sending them reeling backwards.

"Ow!" One of them cried out angrily, massaging the singed flesh on his chest. "It bite me!"

"Kill it!"

In their own bumbling way, the vorcha rapidly raised their respective weapons, and immediately opened fire on the small, seemingly benign, combat drone. It simply weaved back and forth before them, as their rounds passed harmlessly through its illusive surface.

Just then, one of the vorcha's heads erupted into a splash of crimson, as he jerked his head backwards hard, and starred blankly up into space for a moment, before dropping down to his knees, and collapsing onto the floor.

His accomplices ceased fire, and turned to look at their fallen compatriot, as the holographic combat drone dissipated. Their attention elsewhere, they never noticed the four figures stealthily creep in, and take shelter behind the two large rock formations behind them.

"What happen?" One of the vorcha beckoned in shock, as they gathered around the body.

"You stupid, you shoot him!" A separate one exclaimed, shoving an aggressive finger in the accused one's face.

"Me no shoot him, you shoot hi..." As he stood defending himself, a sudden pained expression shot onto his face. He dropped to the floor lifeless, revealing a dark gray armored figure behind him, holding a smoking rifle.

"They shoot him!" One of the vorcha snarled, as he raised his rifle and aimed it towards the Commander. "It Shepard! Kill 'em!"

Shepard quickly ducked down with his assault rifle clutched and a big grin on his face, just as a barrage of bullets chiseled into the opposite side of the stone mound.

"Good girl, Chiktikka." Tali rematerialized her holographic companion, commending it as Shepard crouched down beside her. It bobbed up and down, back and forth before her playfully, like a puppy after receiving a treat, before disappearing back into her omni-tool.

"Not very bright, are they?" Gordon shouted, doing his best to carry his voice over the sounds of echoing gunfire and the rounds ricocheting off of the rocky formations.

"Nope, this shouldn't take long." The Commander assured with a chuckle.

* * *

"We can bottle neck 'em in this alley way here." Garrus informed his squad, as they stood out of sight at the end of a wide passageway between a large number of vortigaunt huts. With him were Thane, Jack, Legion, and no more than seven or so vortigaunts. The majority of the vorts were supplementing Jacob's team, already stealthily making their way around the village.

"Once they realize they're under attack, they'll probably just rush us blindly." Garrus continued to explain. "As long as we can hold this position as a choke point, Jacob's team should have no problems circling around behind them unnoticed. Then we'll just close in on both sides, finish 'em off, and retake that control room."

"The scarred one's plan is wise, and decisive." One of the vortigaunts claimed, clasping his hands together, and humbly bowing to the turian. "Truly the Free Man's kin share his unparallelled dexterity."

"Uh... Thanks." Garrus replied with an awkward smile. "Anyway, you guys sure you don't want any guns. This is probably gonna get pretty rough."

"The scarred one's offer is generous, but we must once again decline." The vortigaunt affirmed. "Our vortal strikes will not fail again. We shall rend asunder the lives of the vile creatures, whose allegiances lie with the beasts. This we vow."

"Suit yourselves." Garrus shrugged nonchalantly. He raised his right hand, with a pheropod clasped between his fingers, examining it as he rotated it in front of his face. "Alright, so to use this thing I just squeeze and throw right?"

"Compression of the pheropod will release the myrmadont's aromatic pheromone, thus attracting the antlions." The vortigaunt replied, reiterating a brief explanation. "The scarred one may then hurl the pheropod at his selected target, coaxing the antlions to attack."

Garrus examined the spongy, brown sac in his hand one last time, bouncing it gently before giving it a firm squeeze. As he did so, it released a light mist into the air, which quickly dissipated. Within moments, the skittering and screeching of antlions was heard, as they clambered out of a nearby burrow, faithfully following the scent of the pod.

"Uh... You guys want the ball?" Garrus questioned, waving the tennis ball sized pheropod around in front of his newfound pack of antlions.

"Here, go get it. Sic 'em!" He yelled out, mustering all his strength to toss the spongy sac as far as he could down the alley way, towards the concentration of oblivious aggressors – the lesser gravity working greatly in carrying the pod towards its mark.

Hundreds of the bestial creatures were spread throughout the large vortigaunt village; ransacking the small, simple dwellings for anything they could plunder, however finding very little. A few, however, did manage to find something else to indulge in.

"This good!" One of the creatures exclaimed, as his razor sharp fangs ripped into the flesh of a dead headcrab.

A large agglomeration of vorcha had gathered around the ample stone table in the center of the vortigaunt village, where Freeman, Shepard, and the crew had previously been honored with a feast. Ferociously, they tore into the stockpile of raw, Xenian cuisine – their fangs tearing at the array of raw meats, like the savage animals they were.

Suddenly, something crashed onto the center of the table, and exploded into a cloud of mist; coating everything in the nearby radius with a viscous, brown liquid.

"Argh! What this?" One of the vorcha demanded, the green blood of a bullsquid dripping off of his jaw. "Ugh, it stink!"

As they stood up, shaking themselves off, and trying hectically to wipe the fetid, brown substance off of themselves, the ground unexpectedly seemed to start trembling. Feeling the faint vibrations beneath their feet rapidly growing louder, bewildered and confused, the vorcha stopped and looked at one another.

Just then, the ground besides them gave way; caving in as large green insects, with javelin like appendages flooded out. Before the hungry vorcha even had time to react, a second antlion burrow opened up, and then a third. Within the blink of an eye, the antlions suddenly swarmed all over the vorcha, like locusts. They were hungry as well.

"Ahh! Big bugs!" One of the vorcha cried out, flailing his arms about, trying to defend himself, and deflect the ensuing swarm. Amidst the flurry of green, many managed to reach their weapons, and began firing wildly, without aim or constraint.

"That's our cue..." Garrus uttered, as he heard the gunfire begin. Looking down the alleyway, he could see the resultant chaos, as the vorcha wrestled with the horde of antlions, clumsily killing off whichever ones they could.

With his right eye pressed against his high powered rifle's scope, Garrus peered for a target as a blur of shapes clashed in the distance. Just then he spotted his mark; a lone vorcha successfully killing off two to three antlions at a time. He placed its head squarely between his crosshairs and gently squeezed on the trigger.

With the thunderous echo of Garrus' M-98 Widow Class Sniper Rifle, Thane, Jack, Legion, and the vortigaunts lined up across the alleyway beside him. With their weapons primed, and their hands aglow, they released a violent torrent of gun fire and green lightning, doing their best to limit their strikes to the vorcha, and avoid the unnecessary losses of their antlion allies.

"Sounds like Garrus has their attention." Jacob stated. The sound of steady gunfire thundering in the distance, while his team and the militia of vorts covertly progressed through the rear of the immense vortigaunt village, weaving their way through a number of small hut-like dwellings.

"So as long as they keep 'em busy, we should be able to..."

"Hey! Who you?" A sudden coarse, raspy voice demanded, as two vorcha unexpectedly stepped out of the hut directly before them, their weapons drawn and aimed; clearly having been coaxed out by the sounds of gunfire.

"Hah! Finally, some fun!" Grunt exclaimed with a huff, bowing his head, and abruptly charging forward.

"I am krogan!" He yelled out ferociously, as the vorcha fired on the fast approaching blur, their rounds ricocheting off of his rapidly depleting kinetic barriers. Just then, he plowed into them head on, driving them back into the small dwelling, through the wall with an earsplitting crash.

"Shit! Real subtle Grunt..." Jacob uttered, priming his shotgun as the small hut collapsed on the three; the combined sound of gunfire, and the loud crash successful in drawing vorcha in from all sides. "So much for slipping in unnoticed. Here they come!"

Two clacking sounds came, as Jacob cocked his weapon, swinging it around and firing on three incoming vorcha, approaching from one of the narrow alley ways between the multitude of simplistic dwellings. Wasting no time, he quickly cocked it, lining up his second shot, as something began to stir from under the debris of the collapsed hut.

Grunt ripped apart what was left of the small hut's roof, tearing through it as he stood up with his shotgun primed, firing on the encroaching targets as he climbed out of the debris, grinning all the while.

"Hmm... Such hostility... Perhaps this will prove a proper deterrent." Mordin tapped his chin as he held a small disk shaped object in his hand. Just then, he casually tossed it onto the floor, in the path of a charging group of aggressors.

"We kill yo... Ahhh!" They snarled angrily, as they ran into the proximity of the Salarian Doctor's device, causing it to arch out in a maelstrom of electrical discharge. The creatures convulsed violently, as the current continued to force its way through their bodies, before their smoking, lifeless corpses finally collapsed to the floor.

"Neural shock mine... Quite effective." Mordin continued, nodding his head with a sinister grin.

"Affected area... Three point two seven meters." He said to himself, pulling out his pistol and casually drilling a round into the head of one of the creatures, trying to sneak up behind him. "Must remember to make note of findings."

Nearby, Samara's hands and eyes lit up with a pulsating blue glow, as waves of vorcha continued to close in from all sides, corralling them at the rear of the vortigaunt settlement.

"Find peace in the embrace of the goddess..." Suddenly, she threw her hands forward, manifesting a tidal wave of biotic energy, colliding it against a small squad of approaching aggressors, and sending them flying into a sturdy wooden fence, around some sort of pen.

"Argh..." "Ugh..." The vorcha collectively groaned in pain, as they writhed around on the broken wooden planks, struggling to get to their feet. "Blue woman strong..."

Just then, as they staggered up, they heard some sort of loud stomping noise slowly getting closer.

"What that?" One of them questioned as they stood up, shaking and wobbling. Slowly they turned around, as the noise seemed to creep up behind them, finding themselves face to face with the slick, brown exoskeleton of an antlion guard. "Uh... big bug."

"Ahhh!" The dregs screamed, as they were tossed about, slammed around, and pummeled by the stampeding guard.

"Hey!" Jacob called out, as he rushed towards a group of vortigaunts, who were busy unleashing streaks of green lightning onto the continuous horde.

"That damn thing is loose..." Jacob informed, swinging the butt of his shotgun around, slamming it into the face of one of the vorcha, who was foolish enough to get too close. "It's not gonna be a problem, is it?" He questioned, pinning the vorcha down under his heel, as he executed it point blank, causing a small splatter of blood to splash onto his face and chest.

"The Myrmidonts are fierce and territorial by nature." One of the vortigaunts acknowledged, as twin streaks of electricity shot out from his hands. "But they can also be trained to be loyal, and obedient. It will not harm us. These interlopers however... Will make a fitting meal."

* * *

"Joey! Dude, you gotta come see this!" A young, dark haired boy yelled out excitedly, as he rushed into the apartment living room.

It was a modest apartment; a light brown couch complimenting the beige colored carpet and walls, and accented by light colored furniture. Though not unkempt, various child play things did litter the apartment's living area. A small, handheld gaming device rested on the coffee table, besides a half eaten graham cracker on a plate, and a few toy firearms laid scattered on the carpet.

"Leave me alone, I'm watching The Justice Avengers..." A separate child griped, as he glued his eyes to the holoscreen. He was laying directly in front of the screen, on his stomach, with his palms holding his head up; his attention completely enthralled by the sight of the animated battle between super powered heroes and villains.

"Okay..." The other boy responded nonchalantly, turning slowly and casually beginning to walk out, the way he came. "I just thought you'd wanna see all the ships outside... But I guess not."

"Ships?" Joey questioned, quickly drawing his attention away from the holoscreen, rolling onto his side to look back at his brother.

"Yeah man!" His brother replied excitedly, as he rushed back into the room. "There's like a bazillion ships outside! I think it's the army or something."

Without any sort of response, or the slightest bit of hesitation, Joey shot up from the floor and the two boys ran towards the apartment's balcony door.

"Whoa..." Young Joey stood awestruck, as he beheld the awesome sight before him.

"Cool, huh?" His brother asked, as the two gazed outward, gripping the balcony railing. "And you just wanted to watch Justice Avengers..."

"It was a rerun anyway."

A few miles away, cascading with the city skyline; hundreds of massive Alliance vessels blotted out the horizon. Their shinning, silvery hulls glimmering brightly in the morning sunlight. The primary mass of ships hovered over the Eli Vance Intergalactic Starport, casting their behemoth silhouette onto the Earth city of White Forest.

Smaller vessels of all shapes and sizes were consistently breaking away from the fleet's formation in order to dock with the major starport. EVIS personnel worked tirelessly as private ships, and Alliance Carriers alike docked, and displace the millions of Citadel refugees. A slow, clumsy process that would likely take hours.

Many of the Alliance Carriers had been dispatched to smaller starports in neighboring cities and provinces. Even many privately owned airfields, and docking stations had been commandeered under the orders of the Alliance, to unload the massive array of life forms, and give shelter to the denizens of the Citadel.

At the head of the ink blot of ships in the sky, over the EVIS – Admiral Steven Hackett stood on the bridge of the SSV Orizaba, with a heavy burden weighing on his mind, and a deep anxiety in the pit of his stomach. He gripped at the railing on the bridge, overlooking the forward windows, doing his best to quell his chaotic nerves.

Here was a man who had seen many battles, in his long, illustrious, career – and had led many more. The scar over his right cheek and lips, a testament to the fact that death had starred him in the face many times, and many times he had lived to tell the tale. But the haggard old war veteran could not deny what he felt now, as a chill ran down his spine, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. But nerves of steel run deep.

"Admiral Hackett, sir..." The voice of Captain Erin Donaghy called out to him, with a heavy tone of despair.

"What is it, Captain?" The Admiral questioned, as he turned away from the windows to face her. She was standing over the communications officer's station, with a sheer look of dread and disbelief etched on her expression.

"It's Arcturus, sir..."

"Good, have they dispatched reinforcements?" He asked, as he walked over to the Captain.

"No sir..." Donaghy remarked with a gulp. "It's gone..."

"Gone?" Hackett beckoned, furrowing his brow in confusion. "What do you mean 'gone'?"

"I mean GONE sir..." The Captain replied sternly, bowing and shaking her head. "We just received this distress call moments ago..."

"Barnes, play back the message for the Admiral." Captain Donaghy ordered, looking over the communications officer's shoulder. "Audio only."

"Yes ma'am." The communications officer acknowledged, as he began to manipulate his controls. A loud crackle of static suddenly resounded, as the message began to play.

"This ... Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, of the Arcturus ...liance Outpost." The voice of a man declared, small chunks missing due to minor static interference. "We have come under heavy attack by unknown enemy forces. They came out of the Arcturus relay... immediately opened fire. The vessels appear to match... description of the one... attacked the Citadel two years ago. Our automated defenses have worked so far, but there are hundreds, perhaps thousands... Don't know how long we can hold out against..."

"The message simply cuts off after that, Admiral..." Captain Donaghy explained, bowing her head sorrowfully, as the message faded into a stream of static interference. "All further communications have failed, and we are no longer receiving a navsat signal..."

"How long would it take them to get to Earth, from Arcturus?" Hackett inquired, clasping his chin between his thumb and index fingers, doing his best to keep his hardened resolve despite the chill beginning to take hold of him.

"If they go back through the Arcturus Relay..." The Captain began in a hushed voice. "And exit the Charon Relay, near Pluto... At FTL speeds, they'll arrive here within the hour..."

As she explained, Hackett's eyes quickly looked up at hers, widening with alarm. He stood silently for a moment, taking a deep breath while clenching his lips tightly. Without responding, he simply turned away, with his hands locked firmly behind his back, and proceeded to walk towards the forward windows once more.

"Put me through to the Executive Cabinet..."

* * *

Joker sat reclined in his seat, his hands resting over his stomach, with his cap drawn down over his eyes, as music filled the bridge of the Normandy. He gently bobbed his head to the rhythm, doing his best to keep himself entertained, and subdue the strong anxiety he had been feeling.

"Take me out to the black and tell 'em I'm not comin' back..." Joker sang along, tapping his foot on the floor, to the serene beat. "Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take..."

"Jeff..." EDI suddenly called out, interrupting Joker's singing, and cutting his music off.

"What now, EDI?" Joker questioned apathetically, pushing the brim of his cap up with his thumb, scolding her holographic shape with an irritated look.

"I have detected a rapidly approaching anomaly..."

"W-What type of anomaly...?" He asked nervously, leaning forward in his chair, now dedicating his full attention to her.

Just then, the ship began trembling lightly, and a faint rumble could be heard in the distance, steadily growing louder.

"Aw jeez, what now?" Joker beckoned anxiously, turning his eyes upward and looking around as the vibrations quickly grew louder. "What type of anomaly?" He demanded.

"According to my scans, it's some sort of superstructure. It looks like..."

Suddenly, the rumble grew to a near deafening, piercing howl as the Normandy began to quake turbulently. Joker clutched at his arm rests tightly, as an ominous shadow appeared overhead, outside of the Normandy's window. It was the colossal silhouette of a titan, as it slowly glided just above the stationary frigate.

"A Reaper..." EDI finished, as Joker stood up with his mouth agape, leaning over his controls and peering out of the forward windows, as the gargantuan black figure continued forth; completely ignoring the Normandy, at least for now.

Outside, Dr. Chakwas stood in a state of disorientation. She was still tending to many of the wounded vortigaunts, while members of the crew, and a few healthy vorts, assisted her. They had been successful in setting up a makeshift medical camp, using supplies from the Normandy, when the unexpected appearance of the low flying Reaper left them all in a state of shock, with a heavy ringing in their ears.

"Good lord, it's another one..." Dr. Chakwas said in a shaky voice, breathing heavily with her hand over her chest, trying to calm herself down.

"Guar kurram! The infernal beast returns..." One of the healthy vortigaunts declared, as he came to stand next to the Doctor. "It is the one our ancient scriptures told of... The one that gave our forebears unto the accursed Nihilanth..."

"What the hell?" Joker said in a hushed voice, the rumbling sounds growing softer as the obsidian giant gained distance. "Where did that thing come from? How did it get here so fast?"

"I cannot say, Jeff." EDI replied, as Joker continued to gaze out the window. "It seemingly appeared out of nowhere, almost as if having come through a mass relay - a strong possibility, as this entire region of the galaxy is uncharted."

"Holy shit, it's heading south..." Joker declared, a profound sense of urgency in his voice. "Straight for the vortigaunt village."

* * *

One of the vorcha released an agonizing yelp as he was thrown to the ground with incredible force. A gaping gash gash in his chest peppered with scattershot, as Gordon quickly ducked back down. The deafening barrage of gunfire continued to chisel away at the back of the two bulbous, stone, stalagmites providing cover for the undeground team, as Gordon loaded a new thermal clip into his shotgun's chamber.

"Nice shot." Shepard yelled out, turning his face away from the edge of the rocky formation, as rounds ricocheted off, sending tiny pieces of debris clattering against his armor and helmet.

"Not really..." Gordon shouted over the gunfire, casually cocking his shotgun. "I was going for a wider spread... Wanted to get more than one. There's about eight or so left now."

Without saying a word, Shepard simply held a hand up to Gordon, holding one finger up and nodding with a grin as if to say "Hold that thought."

He propped his rifle up, turning to Tali and nodding, as she returned the gesture. With not a word spoken between them, in absolute concord, the two immediately shot up from behind the mound, with lighting speed, and opened fire. The Commander with his usual assault rifle, whereas Tali, much like Gordon, favored her shotgun.

With the same darting speed as before, the two quickly withdrew, ducking back down behind the rocky mass, as the incoming gunfire seemed to dwindle.

"Make that six." Shepard affirmed with a laugh.

"Stupid gun!" One of the remaining vorcha yelled out, when his weapon suddenly stopped firing. As he tugged on the trigger, a rapid clacking sound came, but no round was discharged. He tried feverishly to release the reload mechanism, so he could exchange the clip, but it was stuck tight. And apparently the vorcha lacked even the foresight to simply take a weapon off of the fallen.

"Stupid gun broken!" He yelled out again, as his cohorts continued firing. "Go kill them. They hide behind rock. Go!"

The vorcha starred blankly at one another for a second, registering this new order in their miniscule minds, before finally reaching the collective decision that it seemed to be a good idea. While still firing, they slowly left their positions directly in front of the colossal element core, gradually beginning to advance on the team's position.

"Well, how about that." Shepard remarked, carefully peering around the corner, as dust and debris from the rocks lightly speckled onto his helmet's visor. "Looks like they finally decided to close in on us."

"Gordon." Miranda called out, as she crouched beside him with her back pressed against the stone. Having gotten his attention, Gordon turned to face her, just as a familiar blue glow overtook her hands, which she held out in front of her, with a devious look in her eyes.

As he watched her, her bejeweled eyes gleamed in the radiance, as the cerulean glow gently caressed her soft, porcelain face. He felt a sudden chill run up his body, and a deep sense of sorrow begin to set in, as he thought of what he knew would never be.

"I'll set 'em up, you knock 'em down..." She instructed with a confident grin, quickly snapping Gordon back to reality.

He suddenly remembered the maneuver that she and Jacob had executed back at the ExoGeni Research Facility, and he immediately understood what she intended to do, and what would be expected of him. He quickly returned a forced smile, accompanied with a reassuring nod, as he cocked his shotgun, and readied himself.

With her hands still aglow, she and Gordon both shot up simultaneously from behind their cover. She threw her hands out in front her, channeling a strong pulse of biotic energy at the encroaching vorcha.

"Whaaa... What happening?" One of them yelled out, as they were suddenly enveloped in a shimmering blue luminescence, and slowly lifted off the ground – firing and flailing about wildly.

With his targets suspended helplessly in the air, Gordon took aim with his shotgun, unable to avoid the two stray shots which rippled off of his shields, draining a small percentage of his kinetic barriers.

Aiming directly at the huddled mass of vorcha, he pulled the trigger, releasing an explosive round of gunfire. As he cocked his weapon for a second shot, Tali and Shepard both jolted up, brandishing their weapons, and unloading a continuous volley into the aimless agglomeration.

The acoustic composition of the cavernous room echoed fiercely, as the vorcha were systematically executed, one by one. Miranda's glimmering hands began to tremble, as channeling the powerful biotic field began to take its toll. As the battery continued, the vorcha grew quiet. Their flailing came to a halt, and their cries of anguish suddenly went silent.

"Uhh..." Miranda released an exasperated sigh, as she collapsed to the floor, the glow around her hands, and the creatures alike abruptly fading away.

"Miranda!" Gordon exclaimed, with a heavy sense of alarm in his voice, as he quickly knelt at her side. There was a loud series of thuds, as the lifeless bodies of the vorcha guards tumbled to the ground.

"I'm alright..." She assured, breathing heavily as Gordon placed one hand around her back, and taking her left hand with the other; carefully helping her get to her feet. "I held it too long, I just need to catch my breath."

"I think that's all of them." Tali stated confidently, holstering her shotgun behind her as she and Shepard stood up, looking over the rocky mound at the corpses strewn along the path leading to the element core.

"All but one... Look." The Commander replied, pointing to a single remaining aggressor, still trifling with his weapon. Snarling, as he pounded his fist against it in a desperate mixture of rage and frustration.

"Oh, I'll get 'em." She affirmed, pulling her sidearm off of her hip, and aiming it at the struggling brute.

"Hang on." Shepard urged, as Tali lined up the sights of her pistol. Before she could pull the trigger, he gently placed his hand over the weapon, and gently lowered her extended arm.

He walked out from behind the mound, stepping in between the laid out corpses, towards the lone surviving vorcha; cracking his knuckles as the group followed him with their weapons still cautiously drawn.

"I think maybe I can get this one to cooperate..."

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Citizens of this great planet Earth. I am Admiral Steven Hackett, Commanding Officer of the Fifth Fleet and the Alliance Navy." A grizzled voice unexpectedly emenated from the holoscreen in the living room.

"Hey, there's something coming on on the H.V.!" One of the two boys asserted, as they stood on the balcony looking out over the sea of starships.

The two turned and walked back in, finding their lineup of Saturday morning cartoons suddenly replaced by the visage of a haggard, aged man wearing a decorated blue and gold uniform.

"At this moment, world leaders from around the globe are issuing the same statement that I am about to give you." The Admiral Continued. His tone was weary, almost trembling. But it wasn't woe in his voice, it was an anxiety. A fear.

"Hey mom, there's some old guy on the H.V.!" One of the boys shouted out, as he tried to change the station. "It's on every channel!"

"What is it Jeff?" A woman's mildly irritated voice beckoned from a room adjacent to the living area. "I'm busy making breakfast. Do you boys want pancakes or waffles?"

"Ooh! Waffles please!"

People groaned and grumbled in dismay as the Emergency Advisory System suddenly switched their holoscreens, and omni-tools on, waking them from their Saturday morning sleep-ins.

In offices around the world, the employees working the highly abjured weekened hours stopped, sipping at their coffee as they watched the chilling address.

In stadiums, and arenas in parts of the world where the moon was still out – world leaders delivered the same message, as the various games and events came to a standstill.

On the streets of major metropoli, giant, theatrical screens, used for advertisements, broadcasted the message, as many passersby stop to heed the ominous address. Many recognizing the highly decorate Admiral.

"As many of you probably already know, a few hours ago the Citadel came under attack by a massive, foreign vessel of unknown origin." The Admiral continued, doing his best to retain his resolve, as his image was broadcast far and wide. "A small fleet of ships, led by Captain Arterian Santerus, stood valiantly against this mysterious new enemy, but they were unable to deter it. Sadly, the lives of hundreds of brave men and women of all races of the galaxy were lost in the tragic attack."

"Thankfully, there have been no accounted civilian cassualties, and the vessel itself was destroyed. However, before its destruction, the vessel did manage to interface with the Citadel itself, somehow converting it into what we believe to be a mass relay."

"My god, had you heard about this?"

"The Citadel? What happened to the Citadel."

"What does he mean, 'converted it into a mass relay?'"

"Who attacked it? How did they get past the arms?"

The world seemed to murmur collectively, desperately beckoning an endless array of questions as fear and panic began to set in.

"We do not know where this new relay leads, or what resides on the other end. What we do know is that something has come through... "

"Immediately following the destruction of the vessel that attacked the Citadel, The Fifth Fleet, under my command, escorted the millions of refugees from the Citadel back to Earth, with the intention of giving them shelter and protection, and to give us time to formulate a proper plan of action."

"However, a new tragedy has now come to light. Moments ago we received confirmation that the Alliance Arcturus Outpost has been completely destroyed... " The Admiral continued, releasing a long, drawn-out sigh. Bowing his head in despondence, as the world released a collective gasp.

"No... No it can't be! My son!" An elderly woman dropped to her knees, clutching her hands tightly over her chest as tears flowed freely from her eyes.

"Oh god... Jesus no... No it can't be. Jesus please not my Sarah..." A young man pleaded, his hands trembling as he covered his face, shaking his head from side to side in denial.

"Can't be... It can't be! That's horseshit!" A middle-aged man in an expensive suit asserted angrily, as tapped violently on his holoterminal, in his office.

"Operator." A voice replied on the other end.

"Yes, put me through to the Arcturus Station please..." The gentleman requested, nervously combing his hair back with his fingers.

"I... I'm sorry sir, I can't do that... The station has been destroyed."

"Don't you tell me that! You put me through to my brother, you hear me?" He demanded in a frantic state of anger.

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't..."

"Oh, fuck off!" He suddenly stood up, pulling the holoterminal off of his desk, and slamming it onto the floor.

He sat back down, calmly crossing one of his arms over his chest, and pressing his forehead against his fist, as he began to contemplate the situation. Just then a lamented look overtook his expression, as he began to quiver. Sobbing silently, as tears flowed in streams from his eyes.

"I know many of you had friends, families, and loved ones stationed on Arcturus, and I accompany you in your sorrow..." Hackett continued, fighting desperately to hold back his own distress over his lost colleagues, and mantain his fortified composure.

"But the time for grieving may have to wait, as we now face potentially the greatest threat of this or any generation. There is a high possibility that the vessels that assaulted Arcturus will now set a course for Earth, intent on attacking. If that is the case, they will arrive here in less than an hour."

"A state of martial law is now in effect, and will be implemented by the armed forces in conjunction with local law enforcement officials. All military reserve personnel are hereby called to active duty, and any willing, able-bodied volunteers are urged to report to your nearest Alliance outpost. Those of you with basements, cellars, or bomb shelters are advised to use them in the event of an attack. "

As the Admiral continued his address, panic began to grip the world's citizens. People began pilling out of offices, buildings, and stadiums in droves. Anywhere a congregation of the masses could be found, mass hysteria ensued.

"Wherever you are, whatever you're doing... return home. Spend this time with your familes and with your loved ones. This is an enemy the likes of which we have never seen before. An enemy we've only heard about in myths and legends. An enemy we know nothing about... But know that we will do everything within our power to meet this enemy head on, and defend this great planet to our final, dying breaths..."

Admiral Hackett was silent for a moment, as he concluded his speech. He gently bowed his head, and bit down on his bottom lip. The temperature on the bridge of the Orizaba seemed colder than usual, as a breeze kissed the back of his neck, sending a shiver coursing throughout his body. Looking up once more, he took a deep breath, nodding with his eyes closed, as he began once again.

"I realize that many of you don't believe in god. For those that do, I ask now that you offer your prayers. For victory, for the fallen, and for our survival. And for those of you that don't believe in god, I ask that you offer your prayers just the same. Because I believe that god, whomever or whatever it may be, hears all prayers. So may god be merciful, and may god help us now."


	34. Chapter 34: Requiem

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 34: Requiem**

"Barnes, have our ground forces been fully assembled?" Admiral Hackett demanded, as he stood looking over the shoulder of the Orizaba's communications officer.

"Still assembling, sir..." The young CO responded reluctantly, as he slid his head phones off of his ears. Letting them hang around his neck, as he looked up to face the Admiral.

"Damn it... Tell them to haul ass, double time!" Hackett ordered anxiously. "I want artillery teams on the ground ready with heavy AA plasma canons in every major city from here to the Antarctic... I want every naval base around the world sending every last combat worthy SV to rendezvous with the fleet... And I want confirmation that every military detachment we have, is on the way back to Earth A-S-A-P. Understood?"

"Understood sir! Right away!" Barnes answered back abruptly, and respectfully, as he slid his headphones back onto his ears, and turned to his work.

"Admiral Hackett, sir!" Captain Donaghy's panic stricken voice suddenly caught the Admiral's attention.

She, much like the Admiral, had been leaning over one of the officer's shoulder's on the bridge, watching him work frantically. An endeavor now shared by every crew member on-board the massive dreadnought, as well as every ship in the Alliance Fleet, and every Alliance Military outpost throughout the world.

"What is it, Captain?" He asked as he walked over to her. As he approached, it was a distressing sight to see her look up at him with such alarm in her eyes. A newfound terror he had not seen in her gaze before. Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for the worst.

"Sir..." She began with a gulping sigh. "Those things... It's like we thought... They're on their way here."

Immediately upon hearing the news, a cold shutter ran throughout the Admiral's body. He clenched his fists, and teeth tightly; his knuckles turning whitening from the tightness of his flesh. He knew that this was what they had been preparing for, but he had hoped he was only taking precautionary steps.

"You're certain?" He asked, his resolute demeanor not dwindling in the slightest.

"We just received visual confirmation from Solare-7, our satellite orbiting Pluto near the Charon Relay..." Captain Donaghy responded, with a tinge of despair in her voice.

"How many?"

"Hard to tell..." She answered, turning to back to look onto the officer's screen once again. "They came through so tightly clustered together, the satellite wasn't able to get an accurate reading. But given their collective mass..." Donaghy paused for a moment, inhaling deeply before she continued. "The computer estimates... ten thousand... At least..."

"Mother of god..." Hackett uttered in a hushed voice. A strong feeling of dread sinking into his gut, as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"G-Given their current bearing, and rate of travel..." Donaghy continued, doing her best to remain level headed, despite the similar terror that had gripped her. "They'll breach Earth's atmosphere, somewhere over Central Asia and Eastern Europe..." She took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Within twenty-eight minutes..."

Steven Hackett stood silently for a moment. He suddenly noticed the slight pain forming in his knuckles, from the tension of his clenched fist. Swallowing down a quick gulp, he relaxed his hands, and placed them stoically behind his back, as he cleared his throat.

"Like hell they will!" He asserted with a hard look of determination in his eyes. "If that's where they're coming from, then we're going to meet those bastards head on... Order the fleet into orbit over Central Asia. I want a barricade spanning from the Baltic Sea, to the Sea of Japan. Any further than that, and we'll be spread too thin."

"Aye aye, sir!" Captain Donaghy acknowledged, hastily saluting her superior before turning back to the officer, preparing to relay the order.

His hands still locked behind his back, Admiral Hackett turned towards the forward windows, gazing out as he walked towards them. Outside he watched the the activity of the fleet as they prepared for combat. Ships from the ground, continuously joined the ones already in the air, either returning from dropping off the last of the Citadel's refugees, or units dispatched from the various naval outposts around the globe. Within moments, the loud hum of the Orizaba's powerful thrusters was heard, accompanied by the hiss of the thrusters of every other ship in the Arcturus Fleet, as they collectively prepared to move into orbit, in accordance with the Admiral's orders.

An unhealthy mixture of adrenaline and terror coursed through the bodies of the various officers and crew members on-board each of the Alliance ships. Each expressing it in their own way.

"Yeeeee-hooooo!" Richard Frakes, an ambitious young fighter pilot shouted out, pumping his fist in the air as he stood next to his Guardian Class Interceptor. "Gonna kill me a dozen of them sons of bitches!"

"How 'bout you Kowalski?" He asked as turned to his neighboring pilot, who was slipping his helmet onto his head and tightening the strap under his chin. "You ready to give these bastards the worst day of their lives?"

"Shit, you know it!" The other pilot responded confidently, as he ascended the ladder to his cockpit. "Two dozen at least. Keep up if you can..."

"They're gonna be sorry they ever decided to mess with Earth." Frakes snickered and shook his head, as he too strapped on his helmet and started climbing the ladder to his fighter.

"Hey Rodriguez!" He stopped and called out, turning around at the top of his ladder, addressing a pilot a few fighters down who was already situating himself in his cockpit.

"Kick some ass!" He shouted, waving a confident thumbs up high over his head, with the other pilot reciprocating the gesture, as the canopy closed around him.

"We fly in alive, and we fly out the same way gentlemen!" Frakes asserted as he sat down in his cockpit, strapping himself in. "Wolfpack! Owoooooooo!" He let fourth a vigorous howl, moments before his canopy closed down, sealing him within his Guardian Class fighter ship, marked with a black, silver, and red wolf's head crest.

All around them, and in neighboring carriers alike – pilots scrambled to their Interceptors, as the fleet ascended into orbit. Some pilots and crew members kissed photographs of loved ones they held nearby. Others murmured silent prayers to themselves, hoping something or someone out there would hear them. And others still fed off of the adrenaline rush; using it to put steel in their spines, and quell the lingering feelings of anxiety they felt deep down. Despite how they showed it or hid it, only one thing was common among the men and women of the Alliance Navy as they prepared to launch the largest counter-offensive in the history of galactic civilization; only their fear...

"Admiral Hackett, sir!" Communications Officer Barnes' eager voice suddenly called out back on the bridge of the Orizaba, immediately grabbing Hackett's attention.

"What now...?" Hackett thought to himself, closing his eyes and taking an exasperated breath before acknowledging the young CO.

"What is it, Barnes?" Hackett questioned wearily, expecting the worst as he turned with a jerk and walked over to him. To the Admiral's surprise however, he saw what appeared to be a dim spark of relief in the officer's eyes, and even the slightest makings of a smile.

"Sir..." Barnes began, releasing a hopeful sigh as he slid his headpiece down around his neck. "We just received word from Admiral Lidanya of the Destiny Ascension. The Citadel Fleet is en route to reinforce us."

"Thank god..." Hackett thought silently to himself, bowing his head and bobbing it slightly as he released a long breath he didn't realize he had been holding in.

"It's great to finally hear some good news, son." The Admiral assured, nodding and cracking a grin. "What's their ETA?"

"Forty-six minutes sir."

Admiral Hackett clenched his lips, and nodded reluctantly. He turned his head to look out of the window, just as the baby blue hue of the sunny Earth sky faded to black, and the celestial twinkle of the cosmos reappeared.

"Well I guess we're on our own until they get here..."

* * *

"It doesn't look like those things are gonna hold out too much longer!" Garrus shouted out, peering through his scope, watching the antlion swarm steadily dwindle, while nailing any vorcha aggressors he could spot.

In the distance, at the end of the wide passageway that ran down the center of the vortigaunt village, dividing it in two; the vorcha horde clashed fiercely with the green swarm of antlions that had been unleashed upon them.

Despite the vast numbers pouring out of the tunnels below in droves, insatiably beguiled by the overwhelming aroma of the pheropods - they were no match for the numbers, and sheer firepower of the vorcha. Despite this, they served their purpose admirably. Amidst the chaos, many of the vorcha laid strewn across the ground – large puncture wounds riddling their bodies. Many with deep gashes and sizable chunks of flesh ripped off of their bones, a result of the antlion's feasting as they attacked.

But much like the vorcha, many an antlion carcass littered the ground, as their numbers were thinned out. Splashes of green and yellow soaked the unwanted visitors as the muzzle fire of their automatic weapons drilled through them.

"We must keep them occupied as long as possible!" Thane asserted, keeping the sights of his assault rifle aligned as he picked off two scattering vorcha. "Until the others can make it to the vortigaunt's control room."

Fanned out beside him, Garrus, Jack, Legion, and a handful of vortigaunts unleashed everything they had, as their supplementing antlion swarm was eliminated – overwhelmed by the even greater numbers of the vorcha menace.

A blaze of gun fire, and a maelstrom of green lightning thrashed one after another, as they toppled over like targets in a carnival game. But for every one that laid slain, it seemed as if two more would take its place.

With the swarm of gargantuan insects now eliminated, the maladroit attackers now turned their focus onto the source of the incoming barrage, climbing over the bodies of their own accumulating fallen.

"It seems we have garnered their full attention..." Thane affirmed, shouldering his assault rifle firmly, and spraying anything that moved.

"Stand your ground!" Garrus ordered, shouting over the thundering gunfire, as he peered through his scope. He aimed with precision and discipline, and one after another they fell in his crosshairs. "No matter what, we hold this position!"

Just then, Thane's rifle ceased firing, releasing only a series of clicking sounds indicating he was out of ammunition. Rather than loading a new a clip into the chamber, he simply swung his weapon around, mounting it onto his back. He held his hands out in front of him, an austere look in his eyes, as they were suddenly engulfed by a shimmering blue radiance.

Extending his hands out before him, his palms aimed at a clambering rabble of vorcha climbing over a mound of their own fallen, they were suddenly engulfed by the same blue luminescence. Flailing about and firing their weapons hopelessly in all directions, they were hoisted into the air ten, twenty, perhaps thirty feet.

Holding them there for a moment, Thane's hands began to tremble as channeling the energy took its toll. He made it a point, to stare into each of there eyes, before thrusting his hands downward with a jerk, slamming the group down with bone crushing force.

"Argh! These vermin are incessant!" Grunt bellowed angrily, as he fired on one of the fiends, leaving it peppered with scatter shot, in a pool if its own blood. Then pumping his shotgun, he swung himself around, and discharged once more on what seemed to be an endless stream.

"Just keep advancing!" Jacob yelled out. "We gotta retake that control center! Bring the pain!"

On the far side of the vortigaunt village, Jacob's team weaved around the small huts and dwellings, steadfastly doing their best to push towards the entrance of the vorcha guarded control room.

A large agglomeration of vortigaunts banded with them, unleashing deadly green streaks of lightning as the intruders continually closed in on all sides.

Jacob, much like Grunt, favored the raw stopping power and close quarters versatility of a shotgun. Evident as he wielded the M-22 Eviscerator, or as he took to calling it, "The Hope Ender."

Dr. Mordin Solus, a former member of the Salarian Special Tasks Group, took a more covert approach in his onslaught. Using the vort dwellings, and their debris for cover, he spotted a small concentration of the enemy as they closed in.

"Tsk... Tsk... Such hostile creatures..." He uttered to himself, as he pulled a small, discuss shaped concussive grenade off of his belt. "Not unlike animals. Some operant conditioning should go a long way."

Just then, he peered out from behind his cover, and hurled the small discuss at his targets.

"Ahhh!" Various groans and screams of pain were heard as the grenade detonated with impressive force, on impact. The shock wave rattled Mordin a bit more than he expected, as he primed his submachine gun.

His weapon brandished, he came out from behind his cover, aiming it in the direction of his aforementioned attack. He watched as a few moaned, and writhed on the floor, disoriented from the blast. Others, who were unfortunate enough to catch the blunt of the blast radius, laid peacefully still.

Crawling around, still in a daze, with a loud ringing in their ears, the dregs almost instinctively all reached for their weapons, and prepared to fire up at the visage of the two identical, blurry salarians standing over them.

"We kill yo... Augh!" One of them yelped agonizingly, as his skull and the skulls of his compatriots were pierced by a barrage of thermal rounds.

"Hmm..." Mordin uttered, taping his chin – the barrel of his weapon still smoking. "Results disappointing... Perhaps more advantageous to skip negative reinforcement... go straight to punishment."

"We're almost there guys!" Jacob shouted, advancing as he mowed down three more aggressors, with a sinister grin on his face. "Push on!"

As the struggle continued, he suddenly thought he felt some sort of strange rumbling sound. But he quickly dismissed it as nothing more than the handiwork of Garrus' team. That is until the rumbling persisted, and steadily began growing louder.

Jacob quickly finished off one more foot soldier, which managed to nick his kinetic barriers before going down. With his brow furrowed, as he tuned his hearing to this strange new sound, he kept his weapon primed, and halted his advance momentarily. He scanned the area for the rest of his team, as the vibrations grew from a faint rumble to a dull howl.

Samara, a walking conduit of biotic energy, was busy making short work of entire squads of attackers at a time. Lashing out in a violent maelstrom of biotic shock waves, left and right, until she too took note of the strange new resonance in the air, growing louder and louder as something drew closer and closer

Jacob looked around, spotting each member of his team throughout the debris of the once peaceful village, and each of them stopped and looked at one another in turn. The vorcha too ceased their assault, as a result of the strange new sound. They turned and looked to the sky, hissing and snarling almost in delight as the thundering roar grew louder, and closer.

"What in the hell is that..." He uttered to himself, gulping at something in his throat as the ground under his feet trembled turbulently.

"Jacob to assault team one." He said anxiously, pressing against his ear with two fingers on his right hand, still holding his shotgun warily with his left. "Come in Garrus, do you copy?"

In the distance, far towards the alley way running down the center of the village, Garrus' team was still in the throes combat. Although the vorcha's counter-attack had significantly decreased, likely due to the same reason as the others.

Just as Garrus lined up one more kill, he pulled back on the trigger receiving nothing but a clacking sound.

"Damn!" He exclaimed to himself, frustrated that his kill got away at the expense of an empty clip. Just then, he heard Jacob's voice come in over his communicator. Despite it being housed directly in his ear canal, the voice was still obscured by the booming roar. He quickly collapsed his empty rifle, and raised it over his shoulder, mounting it onto his back, before pulling his sidearm off of his hip.

"I copy Jacob." Garrus responded, pressing against his earpiece with one hand, and firing his pistol with the other. "What the hell's going on? What's that noise? This isn't your handiwork is it?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing..." Jacob replied, having to shout over the near deafening sound, now drowning out any gunfire. "I got a bad feeling about this..."

There was a ceasefire throughout the whole of the large vortigaunt settlement. Friend and foe alike, lowered their weapons and raised their heads at the ominous approaching sound - the vorcha snarling and hissing jubilantly. That's when it appeared...

"You gotta be fuckin' kidding me..." Jacob said in a hushed voice, not realizing he still had his hand pressed to his communicator. He stood looking up with a petrified look on his face, his mouth agape as he watched an insidious black silhouette crawl in, blocking out the luminescent Xenian sky.

Garrus, Thane, Jack, and Legion, along with Jacob, Grunt, Samara, and Mordin, as well as all of their vortigaunt allies, simply stood awestruck, gazing into the sky as the gargantuan obsidian body of a Reaper hovered in, and situated itself overhead, casting its dark shadow down upon them.

"Guar kurram, or'leq galaram!" One of the vorts with Jacob's team cried out furiously, as his hands radiated with green pulses of light, streaks of electrical discharge arching out, and striking the ground in all directions. "It is the beast... It returns..."

"Well..." Garrus began calmly, still looking up at the colossal creature that hung in the sky. "This could be a problem..."

* * *

"What do you want with him, Shepard?" Miranda asked, as the squad slowly moved further into the underground chamber.

"I just want to ask 'em a few questions..." The Commander replied with a devious smirk, pulling his sidearm off of his hip. "See if I can't get a better idea of what the others are up against, topside."

Confused, Miranda looked over at Gordon, who walked along her right hand side. He seemed to share in her confusion, simply responding with a befuddled grin, and a shrug of his shoulders.

"Alright, drop your weapon!" Shepard demanded, pointing his heavy-pistol at the head of the sole surviving vorcha, guarding the massive underground element core.

With the rest of the small rabble of guards dealt with, only this one remained, as Shepard, Tali, Gordon, and Miranda closed in on him. Cautiously, they formed a semi-circle around it, keeping their weapons drawn, and their fingers on the trigger.

Panting restlessly, it looked around at the stern faces of the four, while still trying desperately to fix the jam in his gun, fruitlessly trying to pull back on the trigger or release the reload mechanism. At a loss to do little else, he twitched nervously, and his operations got more and more frantic as he heard Shepard pull the hammer back on his handgun.

"I'm not gonna ask twice." The Commander asserted angrily.

"You really want to do as he says..." Tali urged, with a tinge of cynicism in her voice, as she cocked her pistol as well.

The creature snarled in a panic, like a frightened animal backed into a corner. It swiveled its head from side to side, trying to formulate some sort of plan with its miniscule intelligence. It stopped and looked at Shepard, as the Commander glared right back, the grip around his pistol tightening.

"Argh! You leave alone!" The vorcha grunt shrieked. Without a moments notice, he suddenly clasped his assault rifle tightly with both hands, raised it over his head, and heaved it at Shepard's face with every ounce of strength in his slender, gangly body.

Announced by the abrupt sound of breaking glass, it careened into the Commander's visor with unforgiving force, causing him to turn away with a jerk.

Shepard had made the uncharacteristic mistake of letting his guard down, if only for a moment. What possible threat could one assailant with a jammed rifle pose? Even if he managed to somehow clear the jam, and begin firing – his kinetic barriers could take a hefty dose of punishment before wearing thin.

The problem with kinetic barriers is, they are designed to repel and repulse objects traveling at a certain, predetermined high rate of velocity, such as a thermal round. The unconventional use of a thrown assault rifle would not fit those parameters.

Shepard stood for a moment, with his head turned and bowed, as the rest of his squad quickly bolstered up and prepared to pull back on their triggers in unison.

"Wait!" The Commander demanded, slowly raising his head and turning back around, to reveal a cobweb of cracked glass on his visor, masking his left eye.

"Are you alright?" Gordon questioned with concern, looking over at the infuriated Shepard, while still keeping his shotgun on target.

Not responding, Shepard simply released a long, drawn-out sigh as he slammed his pistol into his holster with authority. He glared with a look of indignation at the anxious vorcha dreg, with the only eye which wasn't obscured, as he unlocked his helmet, and pulled it off his head.

The nervous creature simply stood there before them, clutching his hands tightly into fists, and shaking as he held them close to his chest. Suddenly his feeble mind processed that what he had done probably wasn't a good idea.

"This was my favorite helmet..." The Commander uttered, shaking his head with a sigh, as he held it out in front of him, examining the cracked visor, vis _à _vis.

Just then, he let it drop. It bounced slightly, off of the hard cavern ground, and rolled away, as Shepard lunged forward at the vorcha, grabbing him and yanking him over hard by the straps of the criss crossing bandoleer he wore.

"Alright, how many of your kind are up top, huh?" He demanded, shaking the vorcha feverishly, with a seething look of disdain in his eye. "How well armed, heavy weapons? Are there more of you at the ships? Are there more coming? Answer me you contemptible piece of shit!"

Tali, Miranda, and Gordon let their weapons ease down, as they watched The Commander violently interrogate this vile creature, each cracking sly grins to themselves, not wanting to openly admit they were enjoying it.

"Answer me!"

"Me... uh... Me no... Ugh..." The grunt suddenly cringed in pain, as he stuttered to find an answer for the livid Commander. "Argh... Ughh!" He cried out in distress, as he clutched at his chest, and began to convulse violently.

Shepard released him and slowly backed away, an expression of flustered resolve on his face, as he shook his head slightly, with the vorcha still spasming painfully.

"What did you do to him?" Gordon beckoned, as he looked on with shock.

"I didn't do anything to him..." Shepard acknowledged, shaking his head with an angered look in his eyes - pulling his assault rifle off of his back, as his team braced themselves for whatever may come. "I've seen this before. It's our old friend, Harbinger..."

As the creature continued to writhe around, clutching at his own chest and throat, whelping and gagging, a dim luminance over took his eyes. A faint yellow light, steadily growing brighter and brighter.

Suddenly, the convulsions stopped. It simply stood there for a moment, perfectly still with its head bowed down, and its eyes closed. An eerie silence overtook the cavern, as Gordon, Tali, Miranda, and Shepard took brief glances at one another – all with their weapons aimed at the tranquil, seemingly benign vorcha before them.

"Behold! For I am Requiem..." A chilling voice suddenly echoed throughout the chamber, sounding as if it was coming from everywhere, as the creature before them raised its head, and opened its eyes, revealing a burning golden light. "I am the architect of your annihilation..."

It spoke without ever moving its lips, and its eyes shone burning with all the seeming of a demon's. It's voice was unfamiliar. Although it bared the dark, chilling similarities to that of Harbinger's voice and Sovereign's before that. But it was unique. There was something darker about this one, something ancient. It was deep, and unrelenting, and it seemed to speak with a culmination of every evil, wretched emotion ever experienced by any man; greed, anger, spite, disgust, malice, hatred...

"Okay so it's not Harbinger..." Shepard affirmed, mildly surprised as he released the safety on his assault rifle, and brought it up to his shoulder, lining up his sights. "Harbinger or not, it's another Reaper. Kill the damn thing!"

Without notice, just as he prepared to pull back on the trigger, followed in doing so by the other three; the burning eyed devil before them suddenly erupted into a massive shock wave of what seemed to be biotic energy.

The impact knocked the handgun out of Tali's grip, as the forceful pulse collided against them, tossing them into the air, and sending them hurdling back.

"Umph!" They each grunted, nearly in unison as they careened hard against the wall, near the chamber's entrance, past the two bulky stalagmites they had used for cover, before falling to the ground.

"Damn..." Shepard cringed, as he rubbed the back of his now unprotected head, obviously having absorbed most of the blow with skull.

For Gordon, the experience was reminiscent of the day Eli died. When he was slammed down to the floor, and pinned back against the wall – helpless to do anything as he watched his mentor get slaughtered. That's when he felt the dull pain beginning to ripple through his left shoulder blade.

Suddenly, as the team groaned and writhed, trying to shrug and shake themselves off, there was a loud grinding noise. Almost like incompatible steel gears trying to grind against one another.

Gordon looked up to see the edge of the thick, metallic gate protruding slightly out of the top of the arch shaped passageway that separated them from the element core chamber, trembling turbulently as if some unseen force was pushing against it, trying to bring it down.

"He's trying to seal the gate!" The Commander exclaimed in a bit of a pained, raspy voice, obviously taking note of the same thing that Freeman had. He tried scrambling to his feet as expeditiously as he could, using his assault rifle as a crutch to push himself away from the ground.

Gordon took a quick look around for his shotgun, which had been ripped from his hands when he plowed against the wall. He spotted it a few inches to his right, and reached out for it. Struggling to get to his feet as quickly as he could, he dragged it over to him, scraping it along the ground as he did.

Shepard and Freeman shot to their feet virtually in unison, bolting towards the doorway, as Miranda and Tali stood up and tried to follow.

Moving symmetrically, almost as one, they narrowly dove into the chamber, under the metallic gate just as it came slicing downward, like a heavy guillotine – completely cutting Tali and Miranda off.

The breeze it generated blew Miranda's long hair back, as it slammed shut mere inches from her face, causing her to reel backwards.

"John!" Tali shouted out abruptly, as she pounded her open palms against the door, and even tried to push up against it – hoping that by some remote chance it would give way with ease.

Miranda scanned the area around the gate, looking for any discrepancies or signs of a possible weakness, when she spotted the unique, vort designed control pad to the left of the door.

"Tali." She called out, as she hurried over to examine it.

It wasn't a typical control pad, exhibiting buttons or switches. Instead there were small crystalline protrusions, aligned in a row next to one another. The vortigaunts would interface with these by sending small jolts of electricity to make contact with each of the tiny crystals in a set pattern or combination. "Electric Current User Interface" as Dr. Mordin Solus once called it, after having observed the process for himself. Or ECUI for short.

"Can you get this door open?" Miranda asked, stepping aside as Tali rushed over to take a closer look at the access pad.

"I... I don't know..." She responded dubiously, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders as she studied it. "I'm not familiar with vortigaunt technology. I've never used anything like this before."

Miranda let out a sigh of frustration, as she placed a hand a hand on her forehead, pushing her hair back a bit, while Tali continued to examine the small access pad.

"Wait! I do have this illegal shunt program that might do the trick!" Tali exclaimed in an outburst, as she sifted through a pouch on her belt, before pulling out a small, cylindrical device.

Carefully she brought up the device and affixed it directly above the crystalline protrusions. She held it down for a second with her left hand, as she pressed a small button at its center with her right. Suddenly, a large red holographic circle rippled out from the center of the apparatus, displaying an array of figures, as it began beeping and working. A small green bar appeared intersecting the top of the circle, and very slowly began to grow larger, like a pie chart being filled.

"It operates off of a sophisticated AI and it's supposed to be able to hack through anything." Tali assured, looking towards Miranda as she let go of her toy, allowing it to do its work. "It deciphers the system and encryptions of the lock, and adapts itself to whatever type of algorithm is necessary to unlock it."

"Will it work?" Miranda inquired, watching the ever so slowly diminishing red hologram get consumed by the green, as a plethora of numbers and symbols which were foreign to her flashed by.

"It's illegal even in the Terminus Systems..." Tali affirmed confidently, as she shook her head and crossed her arms. "It better work."

Gordon and Shepard breathed heavily as they stood up straight, clutching their respective weapons tightly near the hip. They looked down the path leading towards the colossal element core, suspended high in the center of the chamber like a rising sun over the horizon.

Still standing directly before it, the dark embodiment held its ground, never flinching an inch as it gazed upon the Doctor and the Commander. Its eyes burned brightly; two demonic flares of an archaic evil in the dim lit cavern.

"Lesser creatures..." Its phantasmal voice echoed throughout the cavern once more, as Gordon and Shepard shared a stern glance and a firm nod before walking forward with a purpose.

"Your neolithic kind will learn its place along with the rest of the bacterium that infests this galaxy."

Jade eyes burned behind scratched lenses, as the sound of a shotgun being cocked was heard.

"The cycle cannot be broken. You create, you destroy, you advance... We conquer, we consume, we extinguish..."

Dusky blue eyes glared with indignation, as the sound of an assault rifle's operating rod being drawn back accompanied the footsteps.

"You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we deman..."

A deafening volley of gunfire echoed throughout the cavern, as Gordon and Shepard unloaded on the stoic figure, silencing his perpetual soliloquy.

He did not flinch or falter as the thunderous barrage of gunfire riddled its frail, mortal body, ripping and tearing it apart. Within seconds, the glow from its eyes faded into darkness; its body now in shreds as it collapsed to the ground lifeless.

"Well... that was easy..." Gordon remarked, mildly astounded at how simple the tasked proved to be.

"Yeah, at least that shut 'em up..." The Commander stated, shaking his head as he looked down at the indiscernible accumulation of flesh, blood, and bones, that laid strewn out on the ground.

He couldn't help but feel pity and sorrow for these creatures. As vile, and despicable as the vorcha could be, they were still living beings. Beings forced into a genocidal war, on behalf of the Reapers, nothing more than the means to an ends.

"Alright, we gotta hurry." Shepard insisted with a sigh, as he drew his attention away from the disfigured body, and up at the massive element core. "If that was another Reaper, that means they've already come through the relay."

"Now you're sure your gravity gun can get this thing started?" He asked, turning to Gordon as the two walked forward, coming to stand almost directly beneath the prodigious boulder of element zero.

"Well, no quite frankly..." Freeman responded with heavy uncertainty in his voice, furrowing his brow as he quickly pried his eyes away from the impressive core, turning to face Shepard - an expression of doubt etched on his face. "Like I said, it's a long shot."

Gordon loaded a new clip into his shotgun, as he spoke, in preparation to switch it for his gravity gun on his weapon's dock. He could still feel the mild vibrations the overcharged zero point energy field manipulator gave off, reassuring him that it's overcharge still persisted. Suddenly, Shepard raised an eyebrow as he thought he heard something.

"Listen..." Shepard instructed in a hushed voice, tuning his hearing as best he could, and swiveling his eyes side to side, trying to discern what he thought he heard and where it was coming from.

Gordon too searched around, as he began to make out a faint clambering sound. As he listened he heard the sound of an empty thermal clip clang against the ground, as Shepard replaced it with a new one.

"It sounds like... marching..." Gordon stated, as the sound grew louder. It was not unlike the sounds the Combine soldiers made when they stomped around, hunting him down.

"No..." Shepard refuted, looking around at the other tunnel entrances on the opposite side of the Element Zero Core, as the sound seemed to bounce around from inside them. "Not marching... running..."

EDI had said there were multiple entrances to the core chamber, but the one they had used was the only one not found in the vorcha occupied territory. And by the sound of it, the vorcha were not about to give the eezo core chamber up without a fight. That's when they came. Flooding out by the dozens, by the hundreds.

"What the hell?" Gordon uttered, squinting his eyes as a blur of dark figures came pouring out.

They weren't the vorcha, it was something else. They looked almost like vortigaunts, but their bodies were metallic, and machine-like, glimmering in the dim lighting. Their flesh, whatever was left of it, looked pale and dead; intertwined with steel and circuitry. Cables, and wires ran up and down there bodies, coming out of their mouths and ears. And their eyes and bodies shimmered with an artificial blue glow, radiating from within.

"My god..." Gordon said under his breath, as he watched the abominations come flooding in, limping and staggering as they ran, releasing a variety of blood curdling, incoherent moaning sounds, reminiscent of the headcrab zombies of his day.

"Those the husk things you told me about?" He asked, as he turned to face the Commander, both of them backing away slowly as they prepared to make a stand.

Shepard sighed before responding, as he pulled back on the operating rod of his rifle.

"Yep..." He affirmed, a look of stone resolve etched on his face. "They couldn't make this easy, could they?"

The two looked at one another, as they stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder, with the proverbial gates of hell unleashed upon them.

"Aim true..." Commander Shepard entreated, nodding at Gordon.

"...And stand firm." Dr. Freeman replied, nodding right back, as the two shouldered their weapons, and lined up their sights.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

My god... here it is finally lol. Chapter 34. I know it's literally been MONTHS since I've updated my story, and for that I really really do apologize. Things got pretty hectic for me again. I was actually offline for about a month because I couldn't afford to pay the internet bill. Then the computer freaked out on me AGAIN so I've sent it out, I'm back on my trusty old computer again. This one may be slower than a snail on sleep aid, but it's faithful.

Anyway, I thank all of you guys (any of you guys lol) who are still out there, and have been patient with me for this release. I've got 3 more chapters to go! It was originally going to be 2 more after this, but I decided to cut it short, so I wouldn't have to cut the main battle scenes short.

I'm going to REALLY REALLY strive to make it a memorable ending that all (or at least most) of you will love! (or at least like lol)

The Savior of the Citadel... The One Free Man... And gates of hell swung open...  
Aim true, and stand firm...


	35. Chapter 35: A Rock and a Hot Place

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 35: Between a Rock and a Hot Place  
**

There was a ghostly silence as the sun peeked over the earth, bathing all it touched below in its warming luminance. High above the Earth's atmosphere, their metallic hulls glinting in the orange glow, the few hundred ships of the System's Alliance Navy stood poised, waiting for battle. The cerulean blue marble that hung suspended behind them against a curtain of night, served to remind them what they would be fighting for, and likely dying for. A cheerful backdrop in a dire situation.

"All vessels reporting shields online, and weapons hot, sir!" CO Barnes declared, swiveling in his seat slightly, to look up at the Admiral. "And Delta and Eagle squadrons confirm first strike capability armed, and ready at your command, Admiral."

Admiral Hackett stood behind the reporting Communications Officer, taking in every word he said, although he stared blankly into space, tapping a curled finger against his upper lip.

"Hmm..." He uttered softly to himself. Then he was silent for a moment. He lowered his hands, gently tugging at his uniform, straightening it out, and brushing himself off.

"Nuclear attacks are a last resort, Barnes." Hackett asserted calmly, stoically standing up straight, regal and dignified. "Send word to Delta and Eagle. They do NOT launch without my go ahead, understood?"

"Aye sir, Understood." Barnes acknowledged respectfully, gently nodding his head as he prepared to relay the Admiral's instructions.

"And have the fleet stand ready for my attack orders." He said sternly, as he turned away and slowly began to walk towards the front of the Orizaba's bridge.

"Aye sir."

"Steady people..." He called out loudly, his voice echoing throughout the bridge, as he watched the worried, and frightened expressions on the faces of his crew. "This isn't our first outing, and I don't expect it to be our last. We hold strong, and we attack strong. But no one fires until..." He paused for a moment, clenching his lips, and inhaling deeply as he searched for the right words. He could feel the eyes of his crewman on him, listening, waiting.

"Until we see the lights of their eyes..."

There was an eerie, almost supernatural silence on the bridge of the flagship dreadnought, and it was the same for every ship in the massive fleet. Save for hum of the engines, and the buzzing and beeping of various instruments, there was only silence. It was in silence that they worked, in silence that they waited, and in silence that they feared, and prayed.

"How are we doing, Captain?" The Admiral inquired mildly, as he came up beside her.

She had been standing alone at the front of the bridge, gripping the railing overlooking the forward windows, with her head hung low. She stood staring blankly at the floor - her mind running rampant with the chattering of a thousand dreadful thoughts at once, until the voice of her superior caught her attention.

"Sir." She turned and stood at attention, presenting him with a formal salute. "All ships are in position, and are ready in all respects."

"We expect the incursion within twelve to fifteen minutes." She continued in a highly disciplined tone, as she placed her hands behind her back. "They'll exit FTL speeds approximately forty-four hundred kilometers directly before us. Any later than that, and they wouldn't be able to slow down in time, before colliding into the Earth."

"Heh..." The Admiral let out an abrupt, uneasy chuckle, as he bowed and shook his head. "Well, let's hope that's not their intention..."

"But that's not exactly what I meant." He continued, as he leaned forward on the railing, gripping them tightly, as he torqued his wrist back and forth, like someone gassing a motorcycle. "I meant how are YOU doing, Erin?"

"Me sir?" She beckoned, somewhat surprised by his inquiry, as he gently nodded in response.

"Well..." She struggled to answer in a soft, almost timid voice. "I suppose I'm... I'm scared, sir."

Admiral Hackett watched as she closed her eyes tightly, and looked away in shame. The look of stern resolve she held on her face quickly dwindled, replaced now by an almost child-like countenance.

"These... things aren't like anything we've ever dealt with before..." She continued, reluctantly speaking freely, however keeping her eyes solemnly turned away.

"I saw what just one of them did to our fleet two years ago... I saw how much it took to take the last one down... And I know that they were collectively able to destroy the entire Arcturus Station within a matter of minutes..."

She suddenly turned back to look at him; a pleading look in her eyes, as she stood up straight, jutting her chin forward, trying desperately to fight the dread that threatened to overtake her.

"I don't know how we can hope to stand up to something like that." She asserted in a lightly trembling voice. "It shames me to admit it, but I am scared, sir..."

The Admiral was silent for a moment, gently nodding his head, as he contemplated the words of his finest officer. It did come as something of a surprise to him. So often did he find himself dictating command in the face of utter devastation, that he didn't stop to think of what those around him must be going through. Especially her.

Here was the woman whom he knew to be the strongest, most courageous person in his entire fleet, bar-none. She was an intrepid leader. Her presences commanded only the highest echelon of respect and loyalty. And her stewardship of the fleet was rivaled only by his. He knew, should his nerve ever falter, should his will ever break, she would be there to take the reigns, and lead the charge. But he also knew, only too well, that she, much like himself... was only human.

"You want to make Admiral someday, don't you Captain Donaghy?" He asked with a smile, leaning further down against the rails as he gazed out at the stars.

"Uhm... Well... Yes sir." Captain Donaghy stuttered nervously, unsure if her superior was seeking a specific answer. "I do. It's been my dream ever since I enlisted."

"Navy life runs through my veins, Admiral." The Captain continued, a deep sense of pride now replacing whatever trace of fear she held within her. "Most of my family has served to some degree or another. My mother served as Gunnery Chief on the Gettysburg during the Skyllian Blitz. And my grandfather skippered the SSV Kilimanjaro in the First Contact War. Captain Rupert James Donaghy."

"I suppose I do my family proud, don't I?" She remarked softly, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice. "Captain of the Orizaba, flagship of the Alliance Navy... Quivering like a child..." She bit down on her lower lip, as she shook her head in shame.

"You're right..." Hackett affirmed, standing up straight against the rail, as he gave her a stringent gaze. "You do your family proud, indeed."

"Captain, for as long as I've known you, I have never known a more exemplary officer." He continued, as she turned to look at him. "You're strong, you're courageous, you're intelligent. You've got a gleaming service record. And you believe in what it means to be a Captain."

"Thank you sir, but I don't..."

"And it's true." He spoke up again, as Captain Donaghy attempted to interject. "This is a new kind of threat, a kind that we've never seen before. But so were the Turians during the First Contact War. And let's not forget the seemingly hopeless struggle our ancestors faced against their mysterious Combine oppressors..."

"Aye, sir..." Donaghy grinned to herself, as she gently nodded her head.

"Don't worry, Captain." The Admiral said reassuringly, as he adjusted his navy officer's cap. "There's always going to be something new threatening to take our freedom and our lives. But we could not call ourselves free, if we weren't willing to die to defend it. If it's a war these bastards come looking for, then we won't disappoint. But as sure as I am that the sun will rise again tomorrow..." He turned to face her, a look of resolve, and father-like pride etched on his face. "I'm sure that I will one day call you Admiral."

"I...Uhm... Thank you, sir!" Donaghy stuttered nervously, quickly presenting a salute with a grin from ear to ear. "You have no idea what an honor it is to hear you say that. I only hope I can..."

"Sir!" An alarmed crewman abruptly yelled out, interrupting the Captain, with a significant amount of urgency in his voice. "Activity on radar!"

"What?" Hackett demanded, as he turned with a jerk and headed toward the center of the bridge. "What is it, Ensign? Report!"

"They're here..." Donaghy said in a hushed voice, as she watched four golden beams of light suddenly pulse in out of nowhere.

"Sir, we are detecting a multitude of unclassified energy signatures on approach." The ensign reported, keeping his eyes glued to his instruments. "They're exiting FTL speed now sir. It's them..."

"Damn things are earlier than anticipated..." Hackett uttered to himself, as he turned to have a seat at the center of the bridge, a quick shiver running down his body. "Alright, I want a full readout!"

Far off in the distance, directly before the amassed fleet, an obsidian titan appeared, bursting in at the speed of light. It's black, metallic body gleaming with the twinkle of twilight. Suddenly, a second dark silhouette appeared, then a third, and a fourth. Then three more after that, and seven more after that; a dozen, a hundred... Rapidly they all came, an ink blot of gargantuan, onyx bodies cascading across the star woven tapestry of the cosmos. Like a row of candles in dark room, their eyes burned brightly, creating a luminous horizon of speckled, golden light.

"How many?"

"Counting approximately one-thousand two-hundred so far sir, and still coming!" A crewman called out from his station, as a black tide of Reapers continued to wash in, outside. "They're disengaging FTL speeds, but they're still on approach."

"Hold positions until they are in attack range." Hackett ordered, as he leaned forward in his seat, peering out at the encroaching mechanical menaces, many still popping in out of the cold void. "No one breaks away from the fleet, and no squadron fires until I give the order. Whatever happens, we hold this line!"

"Sir, enemy is increasing velocity." The ensign called out, struggling to obscure his panicked state with a placid demeanor. "They'll be in attack radius within one minute."

"They're up to four-thousand three-hundred, sir!" A voice echoed through the room, as the Admiral studied the enemy's approach with a narrow gaze.

In one conformed wave they came, showing not the slightest sign of deviation or hesitation. They stayed on course, and barreled through the black of the abyss directly at the armada of ships that stood ready to defy them.

"I want all ships locked on and ready to fire!" The Admiral demanded, gripping the edge of his arm rest tightly. "The INSTANT they're in attack range, I want every damn thing we got, save for a nuclear assault, raining down on them."

"Aye sir, orders acknowledged!" The Communications Officer called out hastily, as he prepared to relay the orders.

Admiral Stephen Hackett glared at the gleaming eyes of the behemoth at the fore of the dark fleet, and its eyes seemed to glare back into his, burning with contempt and disdain. They moved as one, their devil-yellow eyes piercing the darkness, as they grew in number and in stature within the forward windows of the Orizaba.

"Vessels coming into attack range, sir!" The ensign's clutched voice called out, as the bridge bustled with frantic activity. "Ten seconds!"

"Lock all weapons onto the frontmost ship!"

Heavy cannons of all shapes and sizes extended from their retracted positions on the hulls of every ship in the Alliance Armada. Large shutters pulled back to reveal numerous rows of missiles and heavy projectile ordnance. Javelin disruptor torpedoes, plasma cannons, thanix cannons, and GARDIAN point defense lasers to name but a few of the armaments that stood between the Earth, and an obsidian tidal wave of certain annihilation.

"Viper one to squadron command." The prominent voice of the Orizaba's CO came in over the radio of every dreadnought, carrier, cruiser, and frigate. "You are clear to engage! I repeat you are clear to engage. All vessels fire at will! Fire at will! Fire at will!"

"Fire!" A uniformed man, with a grainy, brown beard, and a large scar spanning across his cheek, from his left ear to his nose, ordered on the bridge of the SSV Elbrus.

"Let 'em have it, gentleman..." A tall, middle aged, African-American male instructed, as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back on the bridge of the SSV Everest.

"Open fire!" A haggard old Captain, with a gravely voice, and a black patch over his right eye, demanded as he gripped the front rails on the bridge of the SSV Cairo. "Let's send these gahd damned things back into the hole they crawled out of."

Throughout the assemblage of ships, the Captains of the Alliance delivered their attack orders as missiles, rockets, and torpedoes exploded out of their chambers, on a collision course with the encroaching Reapers. The dark tunnels of the artillery cannons slowly illuminated, as powerful charges ignited within them, and then burst forth with incredible velocity.

The twilight sky was lit up, as a wave of fire hurdled toward a wave of darkness. Within moments, the Reaper fleet was engulfed in an orange and blue fireball. Doing little more than singeing them, however, as their demonic eyes, and ghastly silhouettes sliced through the flames with ease, undeterred.

"Keep firing!" The Admiral ordered indignantly, leaning with his elbow onto his knees, as he sat on the edge of his seat on the bridge. "I want a non-stop volley!"

A second wave of hellfire erupted forth, as every ship on the line let loose a furious maelstrom of firepower, and it continued without cease. The hulls of the ships rattled, as the thunderous explosions boomed outside, their blinding red glare spilling in through the windows.

"Twelve-hundred kilometers, and closing..." Captain Donaghy uttered to herself, as she looked on at one of the officer's holoterminals, an alarmed countenance in her eyes.

"Javelins!" Hackett demanded, pointing a stiff finger at one of his officers.

Just then, the Orizaba's main cannons released a rapid battery of high-powered energy blasts. Fwip... Fwip... Fwip... Fwip... Came the sound, as the massive guns discharged the energy projectiles.

"Admiral Hackett, sir!" Donaghy called out, turning to face Hackett, though still standing by the terminal. "We have to disengage!"

"What are you talking about, Captain?" The Admiral inquired sternly, shifting his attention back and forth from her to the window. "We're not about to turn tail and run. We haven't lost this yet, and they have yet to fire on us!"

"Nine-hundred kilometers, and closing fast ma'am..." The crewman by Donaghy informed.

"That's just it, sir!" The Captain yelled out rigidly. "Our attacks are having very little effect and they're increasing velocity! They're not gonna fight us, they're gonna ram us!"

Admiral Hackett sat silently for a second, his chin resting on his closed fist, as he watched the ensuing torrent of fire outside. The shadow of the Reapers had grown significantly in size and number since their initial arrival.

"Six-hundred kilometers!"

"Stephen, break away!" Captain Donaghy screamed in a panic driven outburst.

"Evasive maneuvers. Evasive Maneuvers! All ships disengage!" Hackett immediately called out, watching the figures growing in the window. "Helmsman, get us outta here!"

"Aye-aye, Admiral!" The helmsman grunted, clenching his eyes tightly, as he pulled back on his controls as hard as he could.

Captain Donaghy stumbled a bit, before grabbing onto the backing of a crewman's seat, as the Orizaba canted suddenly, pulling up and away from the fast approaching Reaper fleet.

As the order was relayed, the propulsion system of every vessel in the Alliance Armada ignited, providing a powerful thrust as every ship began to maneuver up, and away from the impending collision. Like a slow moving flock of pigeons evading a jogger, they scrambled, desperately attempting to avoid contact as the deadly Reaper fleet continued, dead set on its course.

"One-hundred fifty kilometers!" A tension riddled voice announced, clearly attempting to mask the trembling tone.

Captain Donaghy gripped the seat backing tightly, as the artificial gravity generated on-board made it harder and harder for her to stand up straight under her own power.

Admiral Hackett watched with narrow eyes, biting down on his own knuckles as the view outside slowly turned to one of the distant cosmos, as the metallic giants sank in the window.

"Seven-hundred meters!"

Every vessel trembled turbulently, the roar of a hundred powerful engines blaring at their utmost capacities. Captain, officer, and crew members alike held their breaths in collective, anxiety-driven anticipation as the ships scrambled. Those lucky enough to be strapped in, needed only to man their stations as the gravity shifted.

"Three-hundred meters!" The crewman called out, with a deeply heightened sense of urgency. "Brace for impact!"

Suddenly, it seemed as if everything just went silent. A few deep breaths could be heard, as they waited. Pat... Pat... Pat... the sound of a lone crew member gently dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief, his collar soaked in sweat.

An angry rumble could be heard through the floor, as if something demonic, or otherworldly was passing by below them.

"Ensign..." Hackett gulped, before calling out in a hushed voice. He didn't notice the small, bleeding lesion on his knuckles as he lowered his hand. "Are we clear?"

The addressed crewman simply sat silently for a moment, his eyes searching in every direction obliviously.

"Ensign!" The Admiral yelled out ardently.

"Uh... Yes sir?" The daydreaming ensign replied emphatically, snapping himself back into reality.

"Are we clear?"

"Yes sir." He replied, looking over his instruments, finding it difficult to discern the massive blot of alien starships from friendly vessels. "Yes, I think we're cle..."

At that instant, before the word could even vacate his lips, there was a violent impact accompanied by the sound of a thundering explosion.

"Umph!" Admiral Hackett grunted in pain, as he was tossed out of his seat, and he and Captain Donaghy slammed against the floor.

Outside, the beasts let fourth a bellowing cry, as they collided into a small congregation of ships, swiping their thruster engines as they tried desperately to avoid impact. For many, the blow sustained was superficial, creating a rift along crew decks or disabling an engine or two. For others, the percussion was close enough to the fuel tanks, that it started a chain reaction, engulfing entire vessels into a burning blaze of smoldering debris.

"Damage report...!" Admiral Hackett demanded in a pained voice, gritting his teeth as he used his chair to pull himself to his feet.

Captain Donaghy struggled to get to her feet, using one of the nearby control consoles to pull herself up onto wobbly legs, as the rest of the crew tried to shake themselves off. Red lights flashed, and an alarm wailed as sparks flew from cables knocked loose, near the ceiling.

"Argh... Hull breaches in sections thirty-one to thirty-five, on decks C, D, and E..." One of the crew members responded, rubbing his chest near his neck as he squinted his eyes in pain, after having nearly been throttled by his seat restraints. "Shield integrity down to sixty-five percent, and we've lost two of our starboard engines..."

"Seal the necessary compartments." Captain Donaghy ordered, standing over the officer's shoulder, rubbing the side of her neck. "Have our medics get down there, and do what they can for the wounded."

"Aye-aye, Captain."

"Gimme a situation report." Hackett entreated, as he resituated himself in his seat. "Where's the alien fleet now? What are our losses, were we the only ones hit?"

"We've lost the Fuji, the Warsaw, and the Olympus..." CO Barnes reported, holding his right hand to his headpiece as the information came in. "Fox, and Bravo squadrons reporting heavy damage to multiple vessels, and the Hastings and the Ain Jalut are dead in the water..."

"Damn it!" Admiral Hackett bucked his head forward, as he slammed an infuriated fist down on his armrest.

"Sir, the alien fleet has not changed course!" One of the officers on the bridge reported, with a hefty hint of dread in his voice. "They're entering Earth's atmosphere, and spreading out over Eastern Europe."

Hackett clenched his lips with a scowl on his face for only a moment, before standing up with a look of resolve in his eyes.

"Radio our ground forces." The Admiral's voice echoed throughout the bridge with a commanding presence, as he pointed at the Communications Officer. "Let them know our blockade has failed, and the enemy is descending on their position. Have all carriers dispatch their Interceptors to engage, and have all capable vessels turn around to pursue targets."

"Aye, sir!"

"Helmsman!" He called out heartily, as he walked to the front of the bridge, a heart of courage swelling within his chest. "Hard to port! So help us, these damned monstrosities are not gonna get Earth..." He said, shaking his head. "So help us..."

"Hard to port, aye-aye, sir!" The Helmsman acknowledged, as he worked his controls to turn the ship around.

Outside, the debris of the eviscerated ships floated off into darkness - smoldering metals, and piles of wreckage coupled with lifeless bodies, now forever adrift in oblivion. Slowly, an obsidian curtain of death descended onto the Earth, darkening its skies with their numbers.

Just then, the heavy hangar doors on the sides of every Alliance Carrier in the Arcturus Fleet slid open, as one by one a flood of miniature starships poured out and cascaded down towards the Earth, intrepidly giving chase to the metallic behemoths. Angry hornets darting out of a disturbed nest, seeking retribution.

The colossal, kilometer-long ships of the Alliance Navy slowly began to turn - carefully maneuvering around one another, as they readied their descent, and prepared to make their last stand...

* * *

The bodies of the vile vorcha continued to pile by the dozens, as they advanced on Garrus' team's position. Like creatures possessed, not showing the least bit hesitation or slightest regard for their own self preservation, they persisted forward - climbing over the bodies of their own fallen, snarling as they fired, determined to reach and kill their enemies.

The insect-like silhouette of the mechanical leviathan still hovered odiously overhead, casting its malevolent shadow on the large, contested vortigaunt village. The ground trembled below, as the creature rumbled above, almost as if the land itself feared the horrific beast. Perhaps it was watching the battlegrounds, in the same way one would study a chess-board. Observing as it's pawns vied for control of the vital territory.

"So just what the fuck are we gonna do about that-that giant shit stain in the sky?" Jack demanded angrily, as she held two quivering, glowing hands out in front of her – generating a protective biotic dome around them as her teammates reloaded.

"What do you want us to do?" Garrus snapped, a mixture of anger, doubt, and frustration in his voice. He slid a new clip into his handgun and drew it forward, using his targeting visor to zoom in and select his targets. "It's not like we can do anything about it... We've got our orders, we take back that control room! Nothing else matters. 'Sides it's not like it's bothering us."

"Yet..." Added Thane, in a stoic tone of voice.

"Grrr..." Jack growled suddenly. She bared her teeth with a burning rage on her face, as she pulled her arms back, channeling the energy she used to create the barrier into two tightly clustered orbs of power – pulsating at her palms, as her hands trembled violently.

"Raaaaaa!" Jack screamed in a ferocious outburst, as she drove her arms forward, releasing a chaotic wave of concentrated biotic energy that blitzed down the long passageway, destroying everything in its path.

Small vort dwellings along either side of alleyway erupted into piles of rubble, as the shimmering blue shock wave traveled toward its destination. The corpses of the already defeated vorcha ground troops were swept up into a whirlwind, as the force plowed into the unsuspecting peons.

They could be seen being tossed about in the distance. Hurled high into the air, and slammed onto the ground and walls as the energy dissipated. And foreseeably, the gunfire against Garrus and his team abruptly ceased.

"Impressive!" Thane declared with an awestruck smile on his face.

Jack stood beside him, hunched over trying to catch her breath, panting heavily with a devious smile on her face. .

Unexpectedly, she stood upright, grabbed the drell by his shoulder, and pulled him over to her with a jerk, adamantly pressing her mouth against his.

"Uhm..." Garrus uttered, completely at a loss for words as he watched the two lock lips; Jack wrapping her arms around Thane's neck, as he wrapped his around her waist.

Various mechanical components within Legion's head motored back and forth as he watched what was happening, attempting to compute.

"Did you know about this?" Garrus questioned sarcastically, pointing at the lovers as he turned to Legion.

"Negative. We are confounded." Legion replied in his usual metallic, monotonous voice. "These actions are counter-productive to our objective. We are attempting to build a consensus."

The two finally pulled apart, after several impassioned seconds.

"You're damn right it's impressive..." Jack affirmed with a sly grin, as she softly massaged her bottom lip with her index finger.

"Ahem..." Thane and Jack turned to the sound of Garrus forcibly clearing his throat, finding him standing beside them with a befuddled eyebrow raised. "Something you two wanna share with us?"

"Argh!" Grunt bellowed as he walloped the heads of two vorcha together, between his hands. Before they could drop to the ground, dazed and disoriented, their eyes glazed over from the blow, the angry krogan clutched their foreheads, one in each hand, and brutally careened them into the hardened wall of one of the adjacent huts.

"Grunt!" He heard Jacob call his name, in a mildly abrasive tone of voice. He looked over to see that he had been left behind by the assault team, and the bulk of their vortigaunt allies, as they advanced further in through the village. "Quit playin'! Come on, we're almost to there. There's not too many of 'em left."

Grunt snorted like a raging bull fixing to charge, as he once again pulled his shotgun off of his back, and jogged forward to meet up with the others.

Green jolts of lightning flew, striking the vorcha aggressors as they continued to charge blindly into the fray – their numbers dwindling rapidly. Samara's entire body radiated with a blue luminance, as she hurled a multitude of large rocks and fragments of debris at them with her biotic powers.

"There's the door!" Jacob released the trigger on his rifle momentarily, in order to point. Approximately a hundred yards into the distance, embedded in the towering canyon wall that encompassed the vort's village, stood their objective; a large, thick, door constructed of some unknown, alien metal, adorned with strange Vortigese carvings.

"We must make haste..." One of the vortigaunts affirmed, as the onslaught continued.

In a clearing further down, towards the center of the sizeable settlement, the table where they had all been honored with a feast the previous week, could be seen. Then, it was a symbol of peace. An altar where the vortigaunts, and the various species of Shepard's team broke bread with one another. Now... just another testament to the genocidal war they waged. The dark shadow loomed overhead, as corpses, scattered body parts, and splattered insect pieces littered the ground around the table, and throughout the once peaceful village.

The fusillade of gunfire persisted as Mordin, Jacob, and Grunt continued to unload on their targets. The vorcha desperately continued their counter-assault, however now they began to find themselves in the precarious position of being forced into the center of the village, and surrounded.

This also presented a new problem for Jacob and his team. As they drew themselves out, into the open – they no longer had the luxury of being able to use the various huts and dwellings for cover.

Jacob gulped nervously, as multiple rounds ricocheted off of his kinetic barriers, leaving tiny ripples wherever they struck on his person. He took a brief glance at his wrist display, watching as his shield meter dwindled dangerously low, to twenty-four percent. But this was his charge, and he was going to lead it.

"Ughh..." one of the vorts with them suddenly moaned in agony, as he took a round directly to the eye.

Time seemed to slow down around them at that instant. Jacob watched as the vortigaunt reeled his head back with an excruciating jerk, before his lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

His shields were wearing thin, and he may not have had the benefit of wearing protective armor beneath his kinetic barriers – the type that Garrus, Grunt, Freeman, and Shepard wore. But he had forgotten that their alien allies lacked even the most basic defenses.

"Stay back. Stay back!" Jacob ordered the vorts, as he watched a few of them gather around their fallen kin. One of which was hopelessly attempting to revive him by discharging jolts of his vortal energy directly into the other's chest. Unsuccessful.

"We'll handle this from here, you vorts stay back!"

"But we must render our assistance to the allies of the Free M..."

"You don't have any sort of protection, you'd be sitting ducks out there!" Jacob asserted harshly, interrupting one of them before he could finish. "Please, just stay back. We'll push on from here."

"I'm afraid Jacob is correct..." Samara concurred, holding a brief, protective barrier out in front of them. "Please, for your own safety, allow us to handle things from here."

"Gurrah nil'gu kurr gulla ma!" "Kuergo ma gallam, agla be'lek." "Berg gal ulmek? Callag gua dureg gilla ma..." The vorts convened anxiously as the rest of the group moved forward.

"Kuuram!" One of them exclaimed, as the lot seemed to reach some sort of unanimous agreement. A bright, pulsating flare of brilliant, green light began to radiate from his hands as the others quickly joined him. They stood, brooding in a sort of silent anger, over their fallen compatriot - creating an ethereal green beacon of light that spilled onto the floor and splashed against everything it touched.

"Shepard and Freeman should have reached element core by now!" Mordin shouted over the thunderous salvo, firing his submachine gun at the small vorcha force remaining in their path, as rounds rippled off of his own shields. "Curious they have not made contact. Must have run into heavy resistance below."

"Can't be any heavier than we've had up here..." Jacob responded in an exasperated voice, breathing heavily under his breath. His entire body shimmered from head to toe as he concentrated hard on enveloping himself in a light biotic barrier, to supplement his dwindling shields. "If we actually pull... pull this off..." He had to pause between words just to catch his breath. "I'm tellin' Shepard... I'm takin' a vacation... Whew..."

Unexpectedly, the vortigaunts suddenly rushed up beside them, their hands ablaze with an emerald fire, causing Jacob to turn with a stunned look on his face.

"H-Hey, wait! What are you..."

"COMPANUM GANNENNEN VORGENOT!" The vortigaunts proclaimed in unison, their collective voice echoing loudly throughout the village, as they all threw their hands up into the air – jade lightning arching out in all directions over their heads, like a violent thunderstorm.

At that very moment, as if calling down the thunder from the heavens themselves, they simultaneously brought their arms down, slamming their hands against the rocky ground. The terrain itself lit up, as the immense energy they harnessed was channeled into the land, and directed forward. In the blink of an eye, a brilliant bolt of lightning swept across the ground, and struck the aggressors.

"Gaugghh!" The unsuspecting creatures convulsed violently, as the electrical current forced its way throughout their bodies. After a few fevered spasms, their smoking, lifeless remains simply collapsed to the floor.

"...Doing...?" Jacob finished his sentence awestruck, as he stood in amazement after what he just witnessed, noticing for the first time that path to the control room was now clear.

"We are grateful of the Jacob Taylor's concern for our lives..." The foremost vortigaunt assured, as his brethren gathered around, bowing their heads. "But this meager world belongs to us. It is ours to defend. Our forebears combated the beasts. We would dishonor them greatly should we fail to do the same."

"I apologize..." Jacob replied, smiling warmly and nodding politely.

Mordin, Samara, and Grunt cautiously walked forward, their weapons still brandished, as they scouted the area, making sure everything was dead.

POW! A thunderous sound cracked, as Grunt peppered a shotgun round into the body of one last, squirming creature. "All clear!" He assured, a touch of arrogance in his voice.

"Great." Jacob said to himself with a grin on his face, before turning back to the vorts, and motioning for them to follow.

"Jacob to assault team one..." He called out, pressing two fingers against his ear, as he walked forward with the rest of his team. "Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Jacob." Garrus acknowledged, pressing his left hand to the side of his head, as he scanned the area with the pistol clutched in his right. "What's your status?"

"We're ... clear, here." Jacob's voice replied, slightly muffled by a crackle of static. "All hostiles are down, and we're proceeding toward the objective."

"Yeah, we seem to be clear here, as well." Garrus assured confidently, as he, Legion, Thane, Jack, and a small handful of vorts walked forward, warily surveying the eerily tranquil battlefield. "We're gonna do one last sweep of the area, and we'll meet up with you in..."

Suddenly, the entire region trembled and quaked, as the obsidian giant above released a chilling, blood-curdling roar – forcing the vortigaunts and the two teams to immediately press their hands hard against their ears, and clench their eyes shut in pain.

"Ahhh! What the fuck is it doing?" Jack demanded, staggering around trying to shield her ears.

"I think we pissed it off!" Garrus yelled in response, looking up at the Reaper, with his hands still pressed firmly against the sides of his head.

Just then, the vibrations ceased, as the dreadful sound came to an end. Suddenly, the entire vortigaunt settlement began to shimmer with an eerie red light from above. A scarlet veil bathed the area, like the light in a dark room.

Carefully, they each pulled their hands away from their ears, as they stood gazing up into the sky, with their mouths agape.

"Aw hell..." Garrus muttered under his voice, as he shook his head.

Up in the air, blocking out the celestial, emerald shimmer of the Xenian sky, the tip of two of the Reaper's metallic, tentacle-like appendages lit up and pulsated - creating a whirring sound like that of something powerful steadily charging up.

"Quickly! It's preparing to fire it's primary weapon!" Mordin shouted out profoundly, as the red light intensified. "We must fall back!"

Jacob took a fevered look around, desperately hoping to spot some sort of suitable cover, from what was likely to be a devastating attack.

Just then, he spotted a ravine passageway, formed by steep stone walls on either side, in the distance. It was the same, long geographic corridor that had allowed them access into the grand vortigaunt village on their first visit.

"There!" Jacob yelled out, pointing into the tunnel formation. "Everyone into that corridor! Let's move!"

Jacob ushered his team by, as they all sprinted towards the passageway as fast as they could.

"Come on, come on, let's move!" He demanded, as he waved the small vortigaunt force on.

All of them quickly made a frantic dash for the passage, as Jacob now began running along side them. The intense red light now shone with blinding strength, as the whirring sound above oscillated increasingly faster.

Unexpectedly, three of the vortigaunts at the rear of the group stopped. They shared a quick glance at one another, and uttered something in their native tongue, as they looked back at the large control room door, seemingly so close now. Suddenly, they turned around and ran the other direction.

As his team found cover in the narrow stone corridor, something beckoned Jacob to turn, and look back.

"Hey!" He hollered in alarm, as he watched the three stray vorts dart towards the control room. "Hey! What are you doing, get outta there!"

"Lets go people!" Garrus ordered on the opposite side of the village, as his squad and the handful of their native alien allies turned and began running back the way they came. "Move, move, move!"

They ran towards a similar passage, nestled tightly between two high-reaching stone walls. The tall canyons, and high cliffs of Xen worked well in geographically fortifying the vortigaunt settlement, with small tunnels and passages like this being the only real way in.

Before they could reach haven, the group came to a gaping hole in the ground, previously made by the antlions that burrowed out, coaxed to the surface by the alluring scent of the pheropods.

One by one, Garrus' teammates ran around, or leapt across the dark, descending hollow. Just then, their amicable geth ally tried to do the same. Leaping over the hole, and planting his feet on the other side, the loosened soil around it suddenly gave way, sucking him down chest deep into it.

"Legion!" Garrus shouted, as he saw the geth fall in and struggle to pull himself out - the intense red light making things difficult to discern.

The ground around the hole was not able to sustain the hefty weight of the mechanical combatant, and simply continued to crumble and give way as Legion tried to claw his way out, only widening the hole.

"Gimme your hand!" Garrus demanded, as he crouched down and began pulling at Legion's arm in a desperate attempt to get him out. "Damn it, you weigh a ton!" He said in a pained voice, clenching his eyes as his ribs began to ache.

"The old machine's attack is imminent." Legion declared in a monotone voice, looking up at the radiating tentacles of the Reaper above. "Withdraw yourself. We are lost."

"Just shut up and push, you tin can!" Garrus reprimanded, as he continued to pull at Legion's arm, with Thane and Jack now rushing in to assist him.

The turian was unable to help himself from glancing up, into the sky, as they pulled.

"Oh no..."

"Get outta there!" Jacob kept shouting into the distance, with his hands cupped around his mouth, as the three vorts reached the control center door.

All of a sudden, a burning pillar of light shot down into the vortigaunt village, and swept across at blistering speeds. It decimated huts, and dwellings, and scorched the land as it raced towards the three vortigaunts attempting to open the door. It sliced across the large stone table in a blaze, vaporizing it in its place.

At that instant, moments before the three heroic vortigaunts were able to gain access to the nerve center of their contrivance, they were swallowed up by the red beam. From ashes, to dust, to oblivion...

"No...!" Jacob cried out, as he watched in horror.

Suddenly, a second crimson beam appeared, and began racing in the opposite direction.

"Siha!" Thane shouted frantically, as he watched the pillar of light bearing down on them, while Legion still struggled fruitlessly to climb out.

Unexpectedly, he grabbed Jack, pulling her away from assisting the geth, catching her totally by surprise. He pulled her tightly to his body, pressing his cheek against hers, and held her hand out in front of them, with his.

"We must meld energies!" He urged, as the hand he held adjoined with hers lit up with a shimmering blue radiance. "Channel your force through me, and do not cease!"

"What?" Jack exclaimed in shock, at what she perceived Thane to be suggesting. "Krios, now is not the time to be thinking about..."

"Your biotic energy!" He abruptly replied, as the beam sliced toward them at incredible speeds. "A barrier dome!"

"Oh!" Jack's hands suddenly lit up, as their shared energy surged through one another's bodies; combining and intertwining as it was channeled outward, forming a powerful, pulsating, blue bubble, just as the colossal laser washed over them.

Thane, Jack, Legion, and Garrus were swallowed up entirely by the burning pillar of light, as the few vortigaunts with them stood by, watching helplessly from their shelter between the towering rock walls.

"Arrrrrr!" Thane and Jack both gritted their teeth and clenched their eyes tightly, as their hands trembled together, painfully trying to sustain the powerful biotic dome over their heads.

The temperature quickly began to rise, as Garrus and Legion both looked around in frightened amazement. Steam began to rise from cracks in the ground, as the area was heated around them.

Sweat poured from the foreheads of the three organics, as they slowly began to simmer in the giant oven – going from the proverbial frying pan, to the fire.

"Alert." Legion announced, still lodged in his predicament, as steam poured out of the hole around him. "Temperatures rising to dangerous levels."

"Come on!" Garrus asserted, doing his best to ignore the extreme heat, as he hunched over once more. He placed his arms under Legion's shoulders and pulled with all his strength. A sizzling sound came, as his gloved hands made contact with the heated metallic being.

"Puuuuuush!" The straining turian said through his teeth, as he mustered every last ounce of energy he had. Slowly, Legion began to rise out of the ground, grabbing onto to Garrus' shoulders for added leverage, as his feet clawed against the side of the burrow.

With one swift, jerking motion, their robotic teammate popped out of the hole, and onto solid ground, as Garrus stumbled backwards a bit, clutching at his rib cage.

"We... Can not... hold it... much... longer..." Thane uttered in a pained, raspy voice, as his hands shook violently.

"Aghhh!" Jack released an agonizing moan as a drop of blood rolled out of her right nostril, leaving a scarlet trail around her lips, behind it. "I... I can't..."

"We must, Siha...!" Thane insisted, as he felt each breath he took become more and more labored. He could feel himself growing weak, as his vision became blurred and dark. "H-hold on..."

"Arashu..." He prayed in a hushed voice. "Grant me strength..."

Just then, like a miracle, the blinding red light began to dissipate, and the temperature slowly dropped. As the beam faded, perhaps losing its charge, or a result of the Reaper believing its victims to be dead, the normal light returned to the settlement, or at least what was left of it, as the onyx giant remained overhead.

"Uhh..." Jack released an exhausted sigh, as she lost her ability to sustain the barrier, along with her consciousness. She collapsed forward, before being caught by Thane's fatigued arms. He himself was trembling from exhaustion. He was drenched in sweat, and he took deep breaths in droves, as he draped her limp arm around his shoulders.

"Let's get outta here..." Garrus advised in a raspy voice, as he clenched at his ribs, with a pained expression on his face. He began to stagger back, towards the vorts, when suddenly Legion came up beside him, putting an arm around his back, and helping him rush along.

A black, steaming, concave, ring of charred terrain encompassed the antlion burrow, as they dragged their feet through it.

Thane limped forward, carrying Jack at his side, as Legion did the same with Garrus. The vortigaunts quickly rushed out to render their assistance, as the four made it back to the safety of the surrounding canyon walls. Their skinned burned. Their hearts raced. And their circuits nearly fried.

Legion released Garrus as he slowly sat himself down, resting against the rocky wall, still favoring his abdomen. Thane gently laid Jack down onto the cool stone floor, cradling her head with the utmost care, as he lowered her down, and crouched beside her.

"Is she...?" Garrus questioned solemnly, as he watched Jack lay peacefully.

"No..." Thane assured, shaking his head, as he caressed her forehead and cheek with the back of his fingers, looking over her with adoration in his eyes. "She is worn out... Exhausted..."

"What about you?" The drell asked, looking up at Garrus. "How do you fare?"

"Heh, other than seein' spots?" Garrus chuckled and released a long, drawn-out sigh, as he shook his head, and pressed it against the wall behind him.

"Ribs are actin' up..." He answered, draping his right arm over his abdomen as he sat, recalling the injuries he sustained on Illium at the hands of the Blue Suns. "Guess they weren't as healed as I thought..."

A fresh breeze of air whistled, as it blew through the shaded passage. And the wind's gentle caress felt good on their seared skin.

Garrus turned his head, looking out through the opening at the now decimated vortigaunt village. "So now what are we supposed to do...?"

Jacob's seething, brown eyes glared out at the devastation before him. Hardly a structure remained standing, as the once prosperous village laid in ruin, littered with piles of flaming wreckage and smoldering debris. A huge black scorched mark painted the floor and wall near the control room door, where three innocent vortigaunts were incinerated. The same mark was etched throughout the whole of the vortigaunt village – silently revealing the paths of the twin beams of death.

One of the vortigaunts with his team slowly came up beside him; bearing witness to the carnage and destruction for himself, for the first time.

Without sharing a word, the two stood silently, as Jacob clenched his lips. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head. He took a quick look around for something he could use, and spotted a large boulder about twice the size of a basketball.

His right hand lit up with a blue luminance, and engulfed the boulder as it slowly lifted off the ground. He brought it out, floating in front of him, and with one powerful pulse of energy, he threw it out as hard as he could.

It flew with authority out of the corridor entrance, and towards the center of the village, tumbling as it came to rest a few hundred feet from the control center door.

The colossal beam of light suddenly reappeared, without warning. Shooting down, and impaling the ground where the boulder had landed, as Jacob and vort shielded their eyes. Slowly, the beam faded away once more, having eradicated its intended target.

"Bastard!" Jacob exclaimed angrily, after what he observed. He shook his head with a despaired look in his eyes, as a chill ran down his back. "That thing could've killed us at any time... Son of a bitch is toying with us."

Jacob turned, and looked at the vort beside him with a grimace. "There's no way we can reach that control room now..."

"Then our cause truly is hopeless..." His green skinned ally responded, mournfully bowing his head. "All is lost..."


	36. Chapter 36: Judgment Day Part I

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 36: Judgment Day (Part 1)**

**The Arrival**

"Auuuuugh..." "Guuuuuhhh..." "Uggghh..." Were the sounds that they made as they clambered towards the gray and orange armor clad figures, standing side by side near the chamber entrance. These poor creatures, almost thespian by nature, were now reduce to an eerie chorus of chilling moans, and blood-curdling groans.

The thunderous sound of automatic rifles cracked without end, as they staggered forward; one massive, unrelenting blob of dead flesh, and cybernetics - their glowing blue eyes speckling the masses, as they poured through. Their numbers were somewhat contained by the fact that they had to push through the narrow tunnels on the opposite side of the massive boulder of Element Zero, that hung suspended ostentatiously in the middle of the cavern.

For several minutes now, Freeman and Shepard stood before the sealed entrance of the element core chamber, whipping their weapons back and forth, picking off target after target, as they closed in. Bursts of bright light strobed rapidly, as the muzzle flashes of their rifles rhythmically lit up cavern, like a dance club.

"Line up your shots!" The Commander shouted over the salvo, as he did his best to make careful selections of his targets. "Try and hit as many as you can with a single round. We need to conserve all the ammo we can down here!"

"Right." Gordon acknowledged with a slight nod, without looking at Shepard, as he tightened the grip on his rifle. He began to focus on the floating orbs of blue light carried on a sea of the dead, knowing their bulbous eyes were the best way to target their heads.

A mix of blood, dead flesh, and sparks flew as rounds were drilled into the heads of the abominations, leveling them and often those behind them with the same shot. As the unfortunate beings began to topple, many of the others stumbled over them, lacking the coordination of even the most rudimentary of creatures. They were cybernetic zombies, nothing more.

"They don't appear to be capable of the lightning attack the other vortigaunts use." Gordon affirmed loudly, rapidly jerking his weapon around as he continually picked out new targets. "Probably due to the unnatural change in their physiology. Lucky for us."

The tip of the Commander's gun barrel smoked, as he pulled back on the trigger, only to find his weapon depleted.

"I don't know about these..." Shepard replied, carrying his voice over Gordon's gunfire, as he released the empty thermal clip casing and popped in a fresh one, with uncanny quickness. "But the husks I've dealt with before gave off a nasty electrical discharge when in close proximity. It's strong enough to temporarily overload your shields, and it stings like hell too."

"Heh..." Gordon chuckled as he shouldered his rifle, gently pulling back on the trigger, aiming carefully and using short, controlled bursts of fire. "One of those 'good news', 'bad news' situations, eh?"

"Always is..." Shepard forced a grin, as targets continued to fall in his sights. "Would you have it any other way?"

"I suppose not..." Gordon yelled in response, as he quickly began loading a new clip into his rifle, and slammed it firmly into place with his palm. "It's how things have always been, why change now?" He grinned as well, as he shouldered his rifle once more, and continued to fire. "We'll just have to be sure to keep 'em out of close proximity."

Commander John Shepard and Dr. Gordon Freeman stood together, shoulder to shoulder – working as one, accomplished, attack unit. Like targets at a shooting gallery, one by one, two by two, the abominations fell in their sights, the collective thunder of their gunfire echoing loudly throughout the chamber. But for every one they killed, it seemed as though two more would take its place, as they drew in closer and closer.

Small beads of sweat began to form on the brows of both men, as they did their absolute best to choose their targets carefully, wasting not a shot. Both of them knew that there were far more of these vortigaunt monstrosities than there was ammunition on their belts.

* * *

"The reports we have so far are sketchy at best..." The visage of an attractive, young reporter flickered on a holographic screen, in the middle of a living room. Her voice was somewhat muddled by the sound of the high winds blowing against her microphone.

"All we can confirm at this time is that there has been some sort of hostile contact made with the Arcturus Fleet, above Earth's atmosphere. While we're still unsure of who is behind this mysterious, unprovoked assault – we do urge all civilians to remain in their homes, preferably in basements or cellars. Or in one of the designated safe houses around the city. We will stay on the air, and give you up to the minute updates, as they come in. Reporting to you live from outside the EVIS in White Forest, Russia, this is Amber Anne Cartwright... Westerlund News."

Her hair blew wildly in the wind, as she made her report, with the towering star port looming behind her. The sky was cloudy, and dark. And the whistle of the wind gave the impression of an uncharacteristically cool breeze, for a midsummer day.

As anchor's and experts continued their reports on the screen, a man sat by his window in a steel framed chair, peering through the blinds as he watched the neighborhood. His eyes batted back and forth, as he tapped one finger on a large, gray handgun resting in his lap.

There were no lights on in the living room. The only lighting was that of the flickering holoscreen, and the daylight bleeding in through the windows, from the outside. Most of the home furnishings seemed typical of many modern, contemporary homes. Leather upholstery on the couch, and loveseat with a chrome finish. An orange glowing, holographic, analog clock mounted onto the wall behind the holoscreen. And gleaming metallic shelves, cabinets, and tables.

"Honey, I really think we should head down to the basement..." A woman urged with a great deal of concern in her voice, as she entered the room.

"I'll bet it's those damn turians... I never trusted them..." The man muttered to himself, completely oblivious to his wife's pleas. "All the men they killed at Shanxi, and we're just supposed to forget about it, and pretend we're friends? I knew they'd come lookin' for trouble someday. It was bound to happen. Damn gutless, lizard faced..."

"Nathan!" His wife shouted irately after being ignored, causing him to jump in his seat a bit, before turning to look at her.

"What?" He beckoned angrily, shrugging his shoulders and waving his hands out in front of him.

She released a deep breath, and composed herself a bit before speaking again. "I think we should head down to the basement." She replied, with her head somewhat bowed. "The kids are scared, and frankly I am too."

"We don't need to go to the basement, Catherine." Her husband asserted, as he turned back to peer out of the window once more. "I'm not gonna let some damn aliens force me into a hole."

"Besides, look there's ol' Frank Horton." Nathan said as he noticed the old man sitting on his porch, on the house across from his, holding a long, black, shotgun in his arms – a somewhat antiquated looking weapon compared to most modern firearms.

"He ain't lettin' no damn aliens scare him into the ground." He remarked arrogantly, as he turned around to face his wife again, gripping the handle of his pistol tightly. "And if they do come lookin' for trouble, that's why I have this." He held the pistol up next to his face, barrel pointed towards the ceiling.

"Would you stop waving that thing around!" His wife demanded, with a mixture of fear and anger in her voice, as she cringed slightly at the sight of the handgun. "I told you to get rid of it years ago..."

"Well it's a good thing I didn't!" Nathan affirmed with a hearty nod.

Catherine rolled her eyes at him, and turned away in frustration, bowing her head and crossing her arms in front of her.

"Look..." He said with a sigh, as he placed the gun down on the corner table beside him and stood up, walking over towards his brooding wife.

"Kitten, even if they manage to get passed Earth's entire navy..." He began in a placid tone of voice, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, embracing her from behind. "We're in the suburbs far outside of White Forest. I really doubt we're gonna be on their 'main targets' list..."

He felt her let out a mild chuckle, as she placed her hands over his, around her waist.

"Besides, it's nothing our boys in blue can't handle..." He said reassuringly, as he leaned forward to give her a peck on the cheek.

They stood there together for a moment, swaying side to side – their combined fears and apprehensions slowly easing away. And they were completely oblivious to the frantic reportings of the panicked news caster on their holoscreen, as it displayed an ominous black shadow spilling out of the clouds overhead.

As the couple held each other, a faint rumbling started to ripple throughout the house.

"What's that?" Catherine asked with alarm, as the portraits on the wall began to rattle, and a heavy rumble could be heard outside. The couple quickly released each other, a look of concern now on their faces, as they turned to face the holoscreen.

"As you can see, as they're descending down on us, they appear to be ships of some sort! They have a very strange design, resembling some sort of insect, or squid! Not unlike the one that attacked the Citadel in 2183!" The Reporter's voice shouted, as the whiplashing camera focused on the onyx titans breaching the cloud blanketed sky.

"We still don't have any clues as to who is manning these crafts, but we do kn... Oh god! Oh god, they're firing on us!" She exclaimed in a terrified voice, as a sudden highly concentrated beam of light shot out from one of the creatures, slicing through a number of buildings, leaving a thick cloud of smoke in its wake. "They are firing on us. They seem to be using some sort of powerful laser. I'm going to try and retreat to a safe distance now, but we'll stay on the air as lon..."

There was a sudden, blinding flash of red light, as the young woman attempted to draw herself away from the area, followed by an abrupt flurry of static.

The house continued to tremble, and quake turbulently – knocking frames off of the walls, and dishes off of shelves in the kitchen. The vibrations shook the handgun Nathan had left on the table completely off, causing it to land softly on the light blue carpeting. .

Quickly, he ran towards it, picked it up, and removed the safety. Through his window, he noticed people gathering outside, in the street, pointing, and looking up into the distance.

With his pistol clutched tightly, he bolted towards the door, and it slid open before him. As soon as it did, the muffled roaring sound turned into a piercing howl, like that of a large, low-flying aircraft. He rushed out, and turned towards the East - towards the major metropolis of White Forest. His jaw fell, and his eyes opened wide in terror at the sight he beheld.

Normally, one would see the towering sky scrapers of the city skyline cascading across the horizon. But now, a black cloud loomed over head, darkening the skies as powerful beams of red light sliced through the city. Tracer fire from the ground sprayed into the sky, and tiny aircraft swarmed all over the obsidian giants – having absolutely no affect as they laid siege to the once bustling city.

"My god, Nathan..." His wife exclaimed in a hushed voice, as she came to stand beside him, clutching his arm tightly.

Just then, as they looked around, they noticed that in every direction, on the threshold of every horizon, these creatures were descending. From the North to the South, and from East to West, they pierced the cloud blanketed heavens and began their attack. Red blades of light danced all around them, lighting up the night sky and demolishing everything they touched, as the sound of artillery fire echoed in the distance.

"Catherine..." Nathan began, in a very calm, quiet voice as he noticed an ominous shadow appear behind the clouds a few short miles away from them. "Get the kids, and get down into the basement..." He paused for a moment to gulp at something in his throat. "Now..."

"Sir, targets have breached atmo over Eastern Europe, and most of Asia!" A female crew mate on the bridge of the Orizaba yelled out, watching the activity on her radar screen. "Our ground forces in China have just come under fire!"

"They've split off into several groups, sir!" The voice of a young man called out, from a separate station. "Each containing between five to six-hundred vessels!"

"We've got reports of breaches over Indonesian Air Space!"

"Our ground forces in Saudi Arabia, and North Africa have just come under attack!"

"Sightings over the North Atlantic, en route towards Canada and the Americas!"

"We've got hostile activity off the Coast of Western Australia!"

The projection of a world map at the rear of the Orizaba's bridge lit up with red blots, and trails as the Reapers began to envelop the globe.

"Damn it..." Admiral Hackett said through his teeth as he listened to his crew deliver the grim reports of the impeccably orchestrated, world-wide invasion.

"Have our ground forces hold firm as long as they can!" He ordered abruptly, watching the thick gray clouds outside of the forward windows, as the Orizaba began to descend onto Eastern Europe.

"Dispatch Eagle, and Alpha squadrons to North America. Delta and Foxtrot to the Indonesian Islands and Australia... Bravo and Zulu to Central and Eastern Asia. Charlie to North Africa. And Europe belongs to us... We don't have the man-power to be stretched any further..."

"What about South America, sir?" Captain Donaghy questioned, as she stood at attention besides the Admiral, watching the gray puffs whisk away outside the windows.

"Have we confirmed atmo breach over that region?"

"No sir. Not yet..." Donaghy replied, her chin up, and her demeanor intact.

"Then we've done all we can for now..." Hackett answered back, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders dubiously. "We've already lost multiple vessels, and Bravo and Foxtrot were significantly weakened in the initial attack..."

Just then, the cloud cover outside of the Orizaba's forward windows faded as they re-entered Earth's atmosphere, revealing a scene of dismal brutality. Like a school of hungry sharks circling wounded prey, the Reapers hovered over the cities of the world – firing crimson beams of death from their appendages. Buildings collapsed, and entire skyscrapers toppled, as they sliced through them with ease, causing eruptions of dust, smoke, and flames.

Their silhouettes appeared over the Eastern horizon of the North American coastline. From Tokyo, Japan to Seoul, South Korea they darkened the skies. From Delhi, India to Shanghai, China and from London, England to Paris, France they rained down with fire.

Military gunships and fighters scrambled fiercely, converging on the demon eyed leviathans; unloading a vicious maelstrom of hellfire over their entire hulls. Artillery teams on the ground fired fruitlessly into the air, striking the attackers with heavy anti-aircraft plasma slugs, which simply seemed dissipate, or ricochet off, with little to no noticeable damage. The siege of Planet Earth had begun...

Admiral Hackett was silent for only a moment as he watched the ensuing carnage. He clenched his lips, and shook his head ever so slightly, as he exhaled a deep breath through his nose. "Viper squadron... All vessels open fire."

* * *

The burden of their heavy rifles seemed to be taking its toll, as Shepard and Freeman could feel the muscles in their arms begin to tighten and knot up. They continued to whip their weapons back and forth, choosing their targets carefully as the abominations crept in on them – the recoil of their respective weapons making it harder and harder to shoot straight.

Gordon shook his head a bit, as his glasses fogged up, causing them to slide down the bridge of his nose somewhat, and allowing him to peek over the top of the frames. Everything became blurry, and more difficult to make out in the darkness mired cavern, but the glowing eyes of the husks made his targets fairly easy to discern.

Shepard squinted as sweat began running into his eyes, from his drenched forehead. With one eye shut, he picked out one more target, and put it down. He then quickly took his left hand off of his rifle, and wiped his face vigorously – being meticulous to wipe the perspiration off his forehead, and out from around his eyes. After shaking the excess sweat off his glove, he gripped his assault rifle tightly with both hands once again, and pulled back on the trigger.

The early signs of fatigue were definitely becoming evident in both men, as the breaths they drew became deeper and increasingly rapid.

"They just keep coming, don't they?" Shepard asked, carrying his voice over the sound of gunfire despite sounding slightly out of breath, as he drilled the heads of two husks, with a single round.

"With no end in sight..." Gordon replied, shaking his head with a hefty sigh, as he whipped his rifle to the left, picked out a new target, and fired. Then swinging it back to the right, discharging again and again with deadly accuracy.

"So how many times you been in a spot like this before?" The Commander questioned, unable to hold back the grin on his face, as he continued to line up his sights.

"Whew..." Gordon released a deep breath, a bit of a smile now showing on his face as well. "Definitely more than I'd like to remember. Hehe..." He released a mild chuckle as he caught his breath. "You?"

"Same..." Shepard replied with a sigh, as he sprayed a flurry of gunfire in a sweeping motion, across a few of the abominations getting too close. "I remember a few months ago, when we were still trying to figure out a way to make it through the Omega-4 Relay..." He paused for a second as he released an empty ammo casing, and drove in a fresh one. "We got a tip-off that a turian patrol cruiser had managed to disable a Collector ship, but was destroyed in the process."

"The Collectors. Those alie... aliens that were abducting humans, right?" He stopped mid-sentence to catch a quick breath, as husks continued to topple in his sights, like dominoes - their shadowy figures growing ever closer.

"Right..." Shepard acknowledged, using the adrenaline surging through his body to stave off the fatigue. "We needed to check it out to see if we could find some way to get through the relay safely. When we got there, the place was dead. No signs of life, life support, nothing..."

The two conversed in an almost casual manner, as hundreds of vile monstrosities, made up of dead flesh, and cybernetic components continually flooded into the large cavern. Bright flashes of light, and a cannonade of gunfire filled the chamber, as the corpses of the fallen began to pile up on the ground around the massive eezo core.

"I took Tali, and Garrus with me." Shepard continued, taking time to catch a breath between sentences, whenever he could. "We made our way through the bulk of the ship, until we came to a promising looking control terminal... Surprise, surprise, it was a trap... Hehehe..." He shook his head a bit, as he chuckled under his breath.

"It always is, isn't it?" Gordon added with a weary laugh.

"The place sprung to life like an angry hornets nest, and the three of us got pinned down. So, while EDI tried to get the information we came for off their systems, we stayed and fought off a few hundred Collectors..."

"Damn..." Gordon remarked astoundedly, turning to look at the Commander for a split second, before turning his attention back to the fray.

"They just kept comin' and comin', we could barely hold our own. That's when EDI told us their weapons were coming online, and if we didn't get outta there soon, the Normandy would be destroyed. So as we tried to get out, the Collectors finally realized they couldn't stop us on their own. That's when they started using these guys..."

"The husks?" Gordon asked, as he pulled a new clip off his belt, noticing he only had about four left, as they dwindled at an alarming rate.

"Yep..." Shepard replied, as the heads of two of them erupted in his rifle's sights. "Husks of the poor human colonists they abducted... As we made a mad dash for the shuttle, we started getting over run by the things. We had to fight our way out punching, and kicking. We got out just as their weapons came online. That damn particle beam of theirs nearly fried the skin off our backs, but at least we got what we went in for..."

"Sounds rough, Commander." Gordon affirmed, as the onslaught continued. He could feel a stiffness in his neck, and shoulders, as his arms began to cramp up under the weight of the heavy rifle.

Suddenly, as the other husks clambered over the mound of corpses already piling up, one of them seemed to claw its way out from underneath. Perhaps having been trampled by the others. It pushed out from under the bodies, and crawled out on its stomach, in a prone position without the use of its legs.

As Gordon watched it slither towards him, dragging itself across the floor, he had the strangest sense of deja vu. He knew this was a sight he'd seen many times before.

"Well, this sort of reminds me of the time I spent the night trying to get out of a place called Ravenholm..." Gordon began as he pulled back on the trigger, putting the poor creature to rest. "A small town on the outskirts of City 17."

"Was this before the time you..." Shepard paused to catch his breath, taking a moment to wipe the sweat from his face once more. "Repelled the Combine's famous assault on the resistance base at White Forest?"

It took Gordon a moment to reply, as Shepard's statement came as a bit of a surprise to him.

"Heh, I had no idea it was famous..." Gordon replied, cracking a bit of a grin. "But yes, it was about a week or so before that."

"I was forced to pass through it when the Combine attacked one of our major outposts, and I got cut off from everyone else... From the moment I set foot there, the place smelled of death. Like flesh rotting away for months..." Gordon actually cringed a bit as he remembered the fetid odor.

As they continued to talk and shoot; adrenaline coursing through their bodies, their limbs growing weak, and their breaths becoming labored, they both knew that time was running out. But there was nothing they could do about it. Between the two of them, and the grand element core they needed to reach, stood a flood of bio-mechanical monstrosities, closing in on them slowly but surely. As inappropriate a time as this was for the two icons to share war stories, it seemed it was all they could do as they attempted to mow down the horde.

"The town's entire population had been zombified." Gordon continued, inhaling deeply as he shook his head. "The place was overrun. You could hear 'em howling in the distance and see 'em running across the rooftops. All except for one man. He was a priest, or a preacher, or something. I'm not sure. But I probably wouldn't of made it out alive had it not been for him."

"He guided me through the town." Gordon said with a heavy breath. "Helping me every step of the way, and letting me make use of his... traps..."

"Traps...?" The Commander turned his eyes to Gordon beside him, not actually tilting his head as he listened over the roar of gunfire.

"Yeah, he had set up all sorts of crudely made devices to fend off the zombies. Spinning blades attached to car engines. Electric fences. Propane burners. Even a crusher that consisted of a car on a... on a system of pulleys. Pull back on a lever, and it would crush anything underneath it. Crudely made, but effective."

"Phew..." Shepard breathed a hefty sigh, as he shook his head with an amazed expression on his face. "Talk about... ingenuity. Be great to have a few of those right about now, wouldn't ya say?"

"Heh..." Gordon gave an out of breath chuckle, before he continued. "Well you know what they say about necessity being the mother of invention."

With empty ammo casings littering the floor around their feet, Shepard let yet another one drop, as he reached for a new clip on his belt. That's when he noticed, for the first time, how dangerously low his ammo reserves had gotten. At that moment he thought about using one of his grenades, but an uncontrolled explosion like that could bring the entire cavern down on top of them. He slid the fresh thermal clip into place, as he dismissed the idea.

"Anyway, he eventually led me out of town... through a narrow valley, to... to an old graveyard. The damn things must've known we were trying to get out, because they just started coming at us non-stop. They'd jump down on us from over the cliff side, and swarmed us at the graveyard. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were rising out of the graves..." Gordon stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He quickly clenched and rubbed his eyes as they began to ache due to the extra strain he had been putting on them.

"The father and I fought 'em off as we made our way to the gate." He continued. "When he opened it and told me to go, I expected him to follow me through. But when I turned back, he had shut it behind me. He said his farewells and ran back into the melee. After that, I just remember an explosion, and watching him get swallowed up as he cackled maniacally..."

Gordon gulped as he recalled the chilling memory. As the two continued to fire, and husks continued to fall in their sights, neither of them could help but notice how close the husk horde was getting. The perimeter they had managed to establish to keep them at bay was consistently shrinking, as was their ammunition supply. One way or another, this was going to end soon.

"He told me to look to my own salvation..." Gordon spoke up again, after being silent for a moment. "I don't know how anyone could've survived, but somehow I don't think that was the last of him. I could still hear him laughing when I walked away towards the dark tunnel leading out... I hated just leaving him there, but I was never so happy to see daylight..."

* * *

"This is tango leader, we are tied. Weapons free, all squads fence in!"

Hundreds of fighter ships, interceptors, and gunships alike seemed to swarm all over the devil-eyed giants, appearing utterly tiny in comparison. They unleashed a violent torrent of missile barrages, laser canons, and high-capacity slug fire, but it all seemed terribly ineffective.

Throughout every region of the world, Navy squadrons unloaded every type of ordnance in their considerable arsenals, as the obsidian giants continued to sweep a crimson curtain of death across the land.

The towering skyscrapers of New York and Chicago toppled like dominoes, with clouds of smoke and dust erupting into night sky. The cities were bathed in a red luminance, and engulfed with flame as pillars of light swept the area.

Entire ground platoons throughout the world were swallowed up and piles of flaming wreckage, and smoldering debris crashed into the ground as the Reapers turned their weapons on the troublesome gnats of the Alliance Armed Forces.

Admiral Hackett gripped the arm rests on his chair, a look of despair and contempt on his face, as the shock wave of an exploding Alliance cruiser rattled the flagship dreadnought.

Suddenly, the entire ship canted left unexpectedly, as the helmsman jerked back on his controls, narrowly allowing them to avoid the concentrated laser fired on them, from one of the onyx skinned invaders.

The Orizaba dove, and swooped down to lower altitudes as ships burst into flames around them, and buildings toppled below them. Like water splashing against a dam, the numerous vessels of the Alliance continued their assault in a desperate attempt to deter the siege on the Earth, only to be broken in their efforts.

"Sir, we've lost the Edison, the Geneva, and the Madrid!" One of the crewmen on the bridge exclaimed in a panic, watching his screen worriedly as the Orizaba rocked back and forth. "And we have confirmed an enemy cell sighted off the coast of Brazil..."

"Christ, almighty..." Hackett uttered under his breath, with a deep anxiety in the pit of his stomach, and a feeling of sheer helplessness burdening his soul. "We're being exterminated..."

"Keep firing! Divert all non-critical power to the weapons array, and the shields!" He suddenly ordered adamantly, as the orange light from explosions spilled into the bridge, from the outside.

Tiny drops of moisture speckled the windows and a light drizzle danced on the wind, as the mid-day sky grew cold, dark, and angry.

"Barnes, where the hell is the Citadel Fleet!" The Admiral demanded angrily, as he watched the devastation outside. "We're getting massacred out here!"

"Still en route, sir!" The ship's Communications Officer confirmed in an anxious tone.

"Damn it!" Hackett bucked his head forward frustratedly. "Tell our artillery teams in Brazil to hold out for as long as possible, we don't have any more detachments to send their way."

"God help us, we should've listened to Shepard..." He stopped and whispered to himself, as he shook his head. "Where the hell is he anyway? If there was ever a time we needed him..."

"Admiral Hackett, sir!" The semi-excited voice of Captain Donaghy suddenly grabbed his attention. He looked over to her standing beside one of the other crewmen. She had the makings of what appeared to be eagerness on her face, however still mired by fear, and doubt.

"Sir, Zulu Squadron reports to have just taken one down over Nagoya, Japan!"

"They took one down... ONE?" He shouted angrily.

"Y-yes sir..." Captain Donaghy replied, what little spur of hope that may have stirred inside her quickly fading away. "They're just too powerful... Whether it's their shields, or whatever it is they're made of, we're just not doing enough damage, sir..."

Admiral Hackett sighed as he sank down in his chair, gripping his chin between his thumb and index fingers pensively. "How bad are our civilian casualties?"

"Minimal for now, sir..." Donaghy answered, as she slowly came to stand a few feet before him, with her hands stoically behind her back. "Almost all the major cities have been evacuated. But all our military forces around the globe are taking heavy losses... We won't hold out much longer..."

Hackett was silent for a moment as he batted his eyes back and forth a little. He could hear the maelstrom of the battle outside, and feel the percussion of the rupturing ships, as giant red blades of light tore into the structures of the Earth.

"Keep firing..."


	37. Chapter 37: Judgment Day Part II

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 37: Judgment Day (Part I1)**

**The Farewell**

"Depleted..." A feminine robotic voice announced, as Gordon pulled back on the trigger, receiving only a clicking sound.

"Damn it, I'm out!" Gordon exclaimed, as he expended his final clip.

"Here." Shepard shouted, as he pulled his final two clips off his belt, tossing one in the air towards Gordon.

Gordon reached out, and snatched the twirling cylinder out of the air, just as Shepard slid the other one into his own rifle, and pound it firmly into place.

"Thanks." The orange armored Freeman conveyed, as he popped the empty clip out.

"My last one, make it count..." The Commander said, as the two shared a quick, nervous glance.

The momentary ceasefire ended, and the cavern once again echoed with the thunderous volley of gunfire.

In a metaphorical sense, the ground they stood on, was the face of a clock. And as the dead fleshed abominations closed in in front of them, Freeman concentrated his fire from nine o'clock to twelve o'clock, while Shepard handled the twelve to three region. The only problem was, as their ammo dwindled to nothing, and the husks closed in to mere yards away from them, the rest of the clock started to get consumed, as the monstrosities began to encompass the two men.

Light from their muzzle flashes splashed onto their faces, and illuminated the area around them in rapid intervals as they did their best to control their exhausted breathing, in order to keep their shots as accurate as possible.

"On your left!" Shepard yelled out, as the clambering mob fenced in beside Gordon.

Gordon immediately swung his rifle around, and pulled back on the trigger. He jolted his rifle back and forth, as the bodies of multiple husks, only a few feet away from him, were riddled with rounds, shredding their bodies.

"Shit!" The Commander uttered when he heard a clicking sound, and his weapon stopped yielding fire.

He swung his assault rifle over his shoulder, collapsing it, and remounting onto his back, before pulling his sniper rifle off his weapons dock.

He was already aiming it by the time it fully extended in his hands. Without utilizing the high powered scope, he shouldered it and began firing.

A deafening crack echoed throughout the cavern, as the upper body of one of the drones erupted into bits of dead flesh, and pieces of scrap. The recoil jerked Shepard's fatigued shoulder back, and thrust his barrel upward, before he brought it back down and began lining up his eleven remaining shots.

"Depleted." The robotic voice from Gordon's suit announced again, as his assault rifle's ammo ran out for the second time.

With no auxiliary thermal clips to speak of, Gordon, much like Shepard, was now forced to rely on the clips already loaded into each of his individual weapons.

He collapsed his assault rifle, swung it over his shoulder, and remounted it onto his weapons dock. Rather than pull the M-98 Widow Class sniper rifle off his back, which, in contrast to Shepard's M-97 Viper, used the entire thermal clip's capacity to fire a single round, as opposed to twelve, he pulled off his preferred weapon in turn – his shotgun. He was never too fond of sniper rifles anyway, he preferred the comfort and simplicity of a good, old-fashioned crossbow.

Gordon pumped his shotgun, and Shepard flew through the remaining rounds in his rifle as the vile things continued to close in on them, from all sides. They were slowly being engulfed. The orbs of light carried on a sea of the dead seemed like a tidal wave about to crash down upon them now, as they continued to fight with a valiant effort.

Suddenly, one of the creatures stumbled a bit as he stepped on a small, metallic object on the ground, causing it to shoot out, and slide straight towards Shepard's boots.

"Tali's pistol..." The Commander said to himself, as he looked down, noticing the glimmering silver handgun resting at his feet.

Not bothering to bend down and pick it up just yet, he pulled back on his trigger again, with a new target in his sights. Click... Click...

With lightning fast speed; wasting neither a moment, or motion, Shepard dropped his rifle and reached around his back for his Shotgun – pumping it and opening fire immediately.

As they were encompassed, both of them slowly began to turn their bodies in a way as to face a greater, outward, radius. Taking small steps back, unexpectedly they each felt their backs press against something, before they realized they now stood back to back, quickly being surrounded on all sides.

"Hehe..." Shepard released a forced chuckle, as he looked over his shoulder briefly. "Would you believe, growing up, I always dreamt of what this moment would be like."

"Depleted." Gordon's suit informed again, just as one of the husks charged him. Gordon turned his empty shotgun sideways, using it to punt the aggressor back, before finally swinging it around like a baseball bat, smashing the stock into its face.

"I dreamed of what it would be like umph!" He grunted as he swung the butt of his shotgun into the face of a separate diving husk. "To have work with Einstein, Nathan Rosen, and Boris Podolsky... Sorry for not living up to expectations."

"Are you kidding?" Shepard replied eagerly, as he discharged his shotgun's final round, completely dismembering two of the bio-mechanical brutes in front of him. "It's better than I could've ever imagined..."

"Nice working with ya, Dr. Freeman..." He raised his shotgun over his left shoulder, bring it down hard, and slamming the stock onto the head of one of the staggering creatures, leveling it its in tracks.

"Nice working with you, Commander..." Gordon careened the end of his weapon into yet another husk, before letting it drop to the floor, as Shepard did the same with his.

As Shepard bent down, quickly picking up Tali's stray pistol, Gordon reached over his shoulder. He felt the pulse of his vibrating gravity gun, indicating that its super-charge persisted.

"No..." He said to himself, as the thought of using it crossed his mind for a split second, knowing he couldn't afford to squander any of its charge if he was to have a chance at igniting the element core.

Instead, he pulled out his old, iron companion, nestled firmly behind his gravity gun, as Shepard shot up, with Tali's pistol gripped tightly in his left hand. Then, in a nearly perfect, simultaneous motion, each of them pulled their own, respective sidearms off of their hips.

Like an old west gunslinger, Shepard stood with a gun in each hand, firing one after the other, as the husks surrounding them charged in.

With a crowbar in his left hand, and a pistol in his right, Gordon fired on any target he could get a clear shot on. And for those that got too close, the sharp, curved end of a silver and red crowbar was what awaited them.

"I say it's time we finish this!" Shepard asserted, as they began to get overwhelmed.

"Couldn't agree more!" Gordon concurred, as the two fought back the horde.

"Argh!" Shepard grunted through his teeth, as he slammed the barrel of his pistol down onto the head of one of the abominations, cracking its skull open with a shower of sparks.

"6... 5... 4..." Gordon counted down the rounds he discharged in his head. And as he hacked and slashed at two of the beings staggering at him, he failed to notice the one coming up on his left.

"Ahh!" He suddenly cringed in pain as it came up to him, and threw its arms onto his shoulder pads, releasing a powerful electrical discharge. The surge coursed through his body, forcing his muscles to spasm painfully, and causing him to clench his teeth tightly.

Perhaps on instinct alone, he shoved the creature back, shook himself off, and proceeded to drive the bent tip of his crowbar through its bulbous, glowing, eye.

"You're right..." Gordon affirmed in a pained voice, as he yanked his crowbar away with a flurry of sparks. "It does sting like hell..."

Shepard nodded as he picked out two new targets, and pulled both triggers simultaneously. Both of his extended arms jerked back a bit, as his bullets found their mark.

Another one closed in from his right. Spotting it out of the corner of his eye, Shepard swung his arm around, slamming the handgun's barrel into the side of the creatures head, knocking it to the ground. He aimed down at the slithering husk, and squeezed the trigger. Click... Click...

Shepard clenched his lips in frustration, as he shook his head, and swung his left arm around over his right, using his secondary pistol to dispatch the writhing brute.

"2..." Gordon counted in his mind, as he continued to shoot. "1..."

"Depleted." Gordon's suit announced yet again, just as he raised his crowbar over his head, and brought it down on one of the monstrosities reaching out to grab him. A shower of sparks erupted as his faithful, iron companion found its mark, caving in the creature's head.

He quickly holstered his depleted sidearm, swinging all the while, as Shepard used up the last of the ammunition on his secondary pistol.

"Urgh..." Shepard groaned through clenched teeth, as one of the drones clawed at him, grabbing him before he had a chance to stop it, causing a flood of electrical energy to burn its way through his veins. Using a knee, he kicked it back, and slammed an empty gun barrel across it's face in a downward motion.

As if using a pair of blackjacks or saps, Shepard kept his empty weapons akimbo, using them to pistol whip anything that came his way. As three of them charged directly at him, he drew both his arms back, using the added leverage to kick the one in the middle, hard. Then he swung his arms around, drawing them forward in a rapid, sweeping motion, slamming the thick, dense barrels of his dual-wielded, heavy pistols against the other two dregs simultaneously.

Gordon gripped his crowbar with both hands, as one of the husks came flailing directly at him. Cocking his arms backwards, like someone about to dig a hole with a shovel, he thrust the flat tip of crowbar forward, piercing the husk's chest. Gordon felt the thing's entire weight go limp, his crowbar being the only thing holding it up, as its head dropped, and its arms dangled lifelessly at its sides. He quickly yanked his crowbar out, turned, and thrust it in an upward motion, through the chin of another, causing its tip to burst out through the top of its head.

As the bodies of the abominations began collapse on them, and pile at their feet, Gordon and Shepard were forced to begin climbing onto the mound of lifeless corpses to keep their footing.

"Argh!" "Ahh!" Both of them groaned and cringed, as the wretches continued to claw and clutch at them, despite their best efforts, sending painful electrical charges through their bodies.

As they continued to ascend the hill of the dead, Shepard suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Around the eezo core, from where all the vile beings had been flooding in, were now just the empty passage ways they had used. No more were pouring through, but the matter of the substantial mob surrounding them still remained.

"We're almost through this!" Shepard asserted in a pained, raspy voice.

All around them, hundreds of hands reached out for them, clawing and raking, as a chorus of ghastly moans filled the air. Each hand that managed to touch them, was a new surge of pain and torment coursing through their bodies.

Gordon hacked away with his crowbar and Shepard punched, kicked, and bashed with his weapons at the mass of animated remains. As the aggressor's sustained attacks continued to take their toll, they began to feel their limbs growing numb, and limp – the agonizing stinging sensation coursing through their bodies like needles through each individual muscle.

"Ugh..." Gordon cried out as he began to get swallowed up, and dragged down.

"Freeman!" Shepard turned, in an attempt to help the struggling physicist only to be overwhelmed himself. They clawed at his back, steadily weakening him, as he writhed in pain. What little light there was in the room seemed to slowly fade to darkness, as they were consumed by the sea of vortigaunt husks. A literal dog pile of death.

All of a sudden, the room was bathed in a brilliant blue light, as the amassment of dead flesh and cybernetics was enveloped in a shimmering luminance, and began to float off into the air.

Gordon and Shepard were suddenly revealed as the great weight was lifted off them. Gordon hunched over on all fours, and Shepard huddled down on one knee. Both were panting heavily, with their eyes clenched tightly, as the thunderous echo of a firearm suddenly went off.

Tali and Miranda stood at the now opened chamber entrance they had used to gain access to the element core cavern. The fair skinned human held her hands out in front of her, her fingertips burning with a cerulean flame, as the full-body suited quarian beside her held a shotgun against her shoulder.

Miranda's trembling hands sustained the biotic field, as a rapid fusillade of Tali's shotgun fire dispatched the remaining mass, still floating over the two men's heads. With most of the abominations dealt with, Miranda gritted her teeth, a glaring indignation on her face, as she thrust her hands forward as hard as she could, sending them plowing against the walls, ceiling, and the various jagged rock formations within the cavern.

Shepard shook his head, when he suddenly came to the realization that he wasn't dead. He blinked his eyes, opening them, then clenching them shut as the light slowly began to shift back into focus.

Gordon breathed heavily, as he lifted his head up and looked around – seeing nothing but blurry shapes, and dark blots.

"John..." The Commander watched the familiar, lavender outline of his beloved quarian rush over to him, and kneel at his side.

"Are you alright?" She beckoned, deeply concerned, as she gently caressed the side of his face.

"It's alright, Tali..." He assured in a soft, somewhat pained voice – placing his hand over hers on his cheek. "I'm okay..."

"I think you dropped these..." Gordon heard Miranda's tender, Australian voice as her blurry visage slowly walked up to him, and crouched down.

He watched as she carefully reached her hands out to his face, gripping something between her fingers. Everything suddenly came back into focus, as she gently slid his lost glasses back onto his face, scratched lenses and all.

"Ugh... What happened?" Gordon inquired in a groaning voice, as he tried pushing himself away from the ground, struggling to get to his feet.

Miranda grabbed his shoulder, helping him to pull himself up, as Tali did the same for Shepard.

"We figured you boys had enough fun..." Miranda replied with a cheerful sarcasm, as the four got to their feet; two of them standing on wobbly legs. "Just in time from the look of things."

"Yeah, and besides..." Tali added, collapsing her shotgun and remounting it across her back, as she took a brief look around at the hundreds of bodies strewn across the ground in every direction. "This mess really needed a feminine approach..."

* * *

A bell tolls for the last time, seemingly to herald the arrival of the apocalypse itself, as a clock tower crumbles into a puff of smoke, in London.

Amongst the peaceful, grass covered peaks and ridges of China, a large section of a Great Wall crumbles as the smoking remains of the SSV Kleiner plows into it, shattering it to dust.

Mangled girders, and support beams from a wrought-iron radio tower plummet to the ground to litter the streets, as an odious figure rains fire, and casts its malevolent shadow onto La Ville-Lumière... In what has been for centuries as the City of Light... The City of Love... Now there was only darkness... Only anguish...

"Oh my god, it's really happening..." A woman said in tears, as she embraced her husband tightly in the darkness of their basement, with a loud thundering emanating from outside.

"Shh-shh-shh... It's okay..." The man with her replies in a whisper, as the two gently rock back and forth together. "We're gonna be okay..."

"Margaret, what's happening? What's that noise?" An elderly woman in a wheel chair beckoned, as the rumbling shook dust off of the basement ceiling. "Why are we down here? I wanna go back upstairs... I don't like it down here."

"I know mom, I know..." A middle aged woman with her responded sniffling, in a trembling voice, as she squeezed her mother's fragile hand gently. "But we can't go back upstairs... Oh god mom, I'm so scared!" She exclaimed as she suddenly burst into tears, and embraced the elderly woman. Her mother's eyes opened wide for a moment, surprised by her daughters reaction, before her motherly instinct returned the embrace with frail, trembling arms.

"Next time you make pizza, I'm begging you please!" A family of four sang as they sat in a circle, on crates, in a wine cellar. "Do not give me mushrooms, but just plain old cheese! Yaaaaaay!"

The two small children's mother and father clapped softly, feigning excitement as they finished - doing their best to hide their fear behind their smiles, as the floor trembled beneath them.

"Mommy, how comes we have to be down here." Their five year old son questioned. "I wanna watch H.V."

"Yeah, me too!" Their six year old daughter agrees happily. "Daddy can we go upstells and watch H.V.?" She asks sweetly, as she turns to her father.

"No munchkins, we can't go back upstairs..." Her father replied sorrowfully, doing his best to subdue the fear on his face, as he looked into his little girl's eyes. "But we're having fun down here, aren't we mommy?" He asked, as he turned to his beloved with an artificial glee in his voice.

"We sure are! Come on, if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands." Clap. Clap.

"And I looked, and behold... A pale horse." A gangly, ragged man said to himself in a jittery voice as he walked through the streets alone, gazing to the heavens. Smoke filled the air, and buildings collapsed around him, as the squid-like giants swam overhead, casting their dark shadows onto the ground.

"And his name that sat on him was death... And hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the Earth... To kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death... And with the beasts of the Earth."

As he looked to the skies, a brilliant stream of red light was cast down unto the Earth, from the dark silhouettes above, sweeping across the structures around him like a flaming sword.

"For the great day of his wrath is come!" He shouted, throwing his arms into the air as he watched a pile of mangled steel,and pulverized concrete come crashing down on him. "And who shall be able to sta..."

The devastation was unparalleled... Cities break, and monuments fall as the inhabitants of the Earth tremble in fear, and skulk in darkness – helpless to do little else, while they listen to their world burn. Those with the courage, audacity, and sworn duty to do so, take to the skies in mighty vessels, only to find themselves in the throes of a hopeless battle, and an endless siege.

There was a time in which the agents of these dark invaders brought the Earth to its knees in only seven hours. But now, in less than one, as an armor clad statue wearing a concrete HEV suit crumbled in the city of White Forest, it seemed as though all life on this tiny, blue marble stood on the threshold of annihilation...

"Admiral Hackett, sir..." Captain Donaghy called out, as she stood in front him on him the bridge. "Sir?"

He sat with one arm crossed, and his chin resting on his fist, completely silent – lost in contemplation, as the cannonade resounded outside.

"Sir!" Donaghy shouted after getting no response, verbal or otherwise, from her heedless superior, suddenly snapping him back to reality.

"Yes, Captain? Report..." He said after a slight, startled jump, as he turned to look up at her.

"Sir, we're taking heavy losses in South, and Central America." Donaghy reported, as she stood with her head up, and her chin jutted forward in a highly disciplined manner. "The enemy invaders have spread across Brazil, and throughout most of the Latin nations, strategically targeting our major military outposts. Fort Tiburon in Buenos Aires has been completely wiped out..."

"Good god..." Hackett uttered to himself, a shiver running throughout his body as draped his hand across his eyes, and bowed his head.

"Do we have any available detachments to send their way?" He asked, as he quickly looked back up at her with an almost pleading look in his eyes.

"No sir, nothing..."

Hackett was silent for a moment, as he turned his head a bit and starred blankly into space. He cracked his mouth open slightly, taking a quick breath as if to say something, but he just released a sigh and sealed his lips once more.

"Have... Have them fall back..." He eventually ordered, in a doubt mired voice. "Have ALL our ground forces fall back... Tell them to seek shelter wherever they can and just... just wait... We'll continue to do what we can from the air, but..."

The Admiral stopped mid-sentence, and simply shook his head. His mind raced as he desperately searched for an answer, but none came to him.

"Sir, there's something else..." Donaghy added, interrupting Hackett's derailing train of thought. He released a hefty, exasperated breath as he looked up at her, fearing the worst.

"We've detected two massive, approaching fleets in the vicinity." She continued, causing the Admiral to raise a surprised eyebrow. "One, we've identified as the Citadel Fleet, en route to us just past Mars. The other is exiting FTL speeds now, just above atmo over the North-Western hemisphere..."

"Who's the second fleet?" Hackett demanded, nearly shouting as he clutched his knees tightly with his hands. "Don't tell me it's more of these damn things..."

"No sir, we've identified them as Quarian Ships. It's The Flotilla..."

"The Flotilla?" He said to himself, as a puzzled look overtook his face. "But how did they..."

"Incoming transmission from Admiral Shala'Raan of the Dreyya!" CO Barnes shouted out, as he interfaced with his station.

"Put it through!" The Admiral ordered, as he stood up from his seat and took a commanding step forward.

Just then, a bright beam of light shone up from the center of a small, table-like platform situated near the center of the bridge. After a few quick flickers of static, the beam began to take the holographic form of a female quarian, veiled in a gray hood and faceplate.

"Admiral Hackett..." The quarian began, speaking with a heavy accent. "This is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay nar Dreyya of the United Quarian Migrant Fleet. Speaking on behalf of the Conclave and the Admiralty Board, we've come to offer our assistance to the Alliance in any way possible..."

"Admiral Shala'Raan..." Hackett replied with stunned exuberance, sounding almost out of breath as he nearly couldn't believe the sudden favorable development. "We are much obliged, and sincerely in your debt..."

"Captain." He turned to Donaghy, with the visage of the quarian still flickering before him. "Transmit the coordinates of the regions that require the most fortifying to the Dreyya."

"Aye, sir!" Donaghy responded, as she saluted, before turning and rushing to a nearby station.

"Truly, the quarian people have come to our rescue in our darkest hour..." Admiral Hackett continued, lightly nodding his head as the turned his attention back to the hologram. "And I've never been one to question providence, but how did you know of our predicament? Were you contacted by the Citadel Fleet?"

"No." The Quarian Admiral negated. "We received the initial report from your Commander Shepard..."

"Shepard..." Hackett chuckled to himself, shaking his head with a grin on his face. "Of course, I should've guessed it."

"We would have been here much sooner, but the information was withheld from us by one of our... former Admirals... To which severe administrative action has been taken." Admiral Shala'Raan explained, as the Migrant Fleet began to descend on the Earth and dispersed throughout its continents. "It wasn't until we were contacted by a man, claiming to be nothing more than an illusion, that we were made fully aware of your situation. We never saw his face, but he was human by the look of it, and very persuasive..."

"Earth's own guardian angel as far as I'm concerned..." Hackett assured, a tinge of glee in his voice. "Thank you, Admiral. Once again you have our deepest gratitude. But be careful, these things don't die easy. Avoid fire from their particle weapon at all costs..."

The Quarian Admiral responded with an authoritative nod, before her countenance faded with a flicker of static.

"Sir, the Citadel Fleet is disengaging FTL speeds just outside our atmosphere, over the North Atlantic." The Orizaba's communications officer called out again, putting a confident, determined, and somewhat devious smile on Hackett's face. "Incoming transmission from Admiral Lidanya of the Destiny Ascension!"

"I'll be damned, we might just have a chance after all..." The haggard human Admiral thought to himself

"On screen!" He ordered.

There was another flash of light, as the visage of a blue skinned asari with red markings on her face, and a stern glare in her eyes materialized.

"Admiral Lidanya..." Hackett began, graciously. "Thank you for yo..."

"Admiral Hackett." The Asari Matriarch interjected assertively, interrupting him. "We arrived as quickly as we could. Unfortunately I see we are too late..."

"Yes, we've been doing our best to hold our own, but th..."

"Your world is lost, Admiral." The asari asserted, cutting Hackett off once more. "Our readings indicate these hostile vessels have completely beset your planet. Earth can no longer stand to serve as a proper stronghold. We advise you begin evacuating and save what little lives you can..."

Admiral Hackett stood silently for a moment, his mouth slimly agape.

"And just where are we supposed to take them...?" He eventually replied, calmly. "With all due respect, Admiral Lidanya, Earth is not just some stronghold... It's our home. We're not about to abandon it..."

"Human kind may very well be witnessing its own extinction here." He continued, with an inexorable look in his eyes, as the Asari Admiral rolled hers. "But we will fight to the last ship, to the last man, and to our last breath. That much I can promise you..." He paused for a moment.

"The quarians are already helping us make our stand. So you can either help us here, or wait until they finish and begin invading your worlds... The choice is yours..."

Admiral Lidanya's holographic form flickered and flashed as she sat in a contemplative silence. Just then, she leaned forward towards the screen.

"Very well... Where do you need us?"

* * *

Gordon bent over where he noticed the curved tip of his crowbar nestled between the bodies of two of the discarded husks. It was the same throughout a great portion of the large, cavernous chamber – mangled, mutilated bodies littering the ground, especially in the areas surrounding the entrance way where they made their stand.

His crowbar made a scraping sound as Gordon eased it out, like two steel plates rubbing against each other. He stood up straight, raised it over his shoulder, and carefully slid back into its proper place on his weapon's dock.

He cringed his eyes a bit and hissed through his teeth, as he lightly touched the tip of his fingers to a small, but stinging laceration over his right eyebrow. He then torqued his neck around, clenching and releasing his hands into fists rapidly, as he tried to force the numbing feeling out of his body.

"Here, this is yours." Shepard said, standing with Tali a few feet away, as he handed her gun back to her. "How did you manage to get in, anyway?"

He could feel a similar stinging sensation spanning over a large portion of the left side of his face, as it was covered by multiple scratch wounds. He could also feel something warm running down the right side of his face, as a trickle of blood oozed from a small wound above his forehead.

"You should know me by now, John." She began as she took the pistol from Shepard's hand, collapsed it, and placed it on her hip. "I haven't met a lock yet I couldn't hack."

"Commander, look at this!" The two of them heard Miranda's voice call out. They looked over to see her standing a few yards away, looking down, with Gordon standing next to her.

"What is it, Miranda?" Shepard questioned, as he and Tali walked over to her and Gordon, who were standing further into the cavern, close to the element core.

As they approached, doing their best to carefully step around the bodies, they saw what she had been looking at. It was a vortigaunt husk laying peacefully along with all the rest that were thrown about the cavern – identical to them in every way except for one detail that made it unique.

"A shackled vortigaunt..." Gordon uttered in a lament filled voice, as the four looked down at the husk clad in bindings.

"It's Alra..." Shepard said with a remorseful sigh. He looked up and took a long gaze around the cavern. There were piles of them... mounds... Vortigaunts young and old, large and small, entire families. Now, nothing more than a twisted heap of dead tissue, and machine parts.

"These vortigaunts gave their lives trying to defend this machine..." Shepard affirmed with a determined tone, and a look of stone resolve in his eyes, as he turned his attention back to his team. "Let's make sure their sacrifice wasn't in vain."

Gordon nodded as he suddenly pulled his gravity gun off his back, with a similar determination burning in his eyes. As he hoisted it over his shoulder, and gripped it in his hands in front of him, it was as if he was holding an indigo orb of pure light. It trembled in his hands, pulsating from an excess of sheer energy, as it gave off a brilliant blue glow.

"Alright, so what do you think your chances are of actually getting this thing to work?" Shepard questioned, as the four walked forward towards the gargantuan boulder of pure Element Zero. They silently marveled at its prodigious majesty as they were able to really look upon it for the first time.

"The way I see it, there are three possibilities..." Gordon replied, his eyes scanning the element core from top to bottom, as they came to stand directly underneath it. He set the gravity gun down on top of the small bulwark wall surrounding the destroyed fusion generator beneath the element core. It rumbled a bit as he set it down, but it was too heavy to go anywhere.

"One, the gravity gun won't be powerful enough, and its overcharge will just fizzle out before I can generate the necessary reaction..." Gordon explained as Tali, Miranda, and Shepard all listened intently.

"Two, it WILL be powerful enough, and assuming the others up top have managed to take back the control center, once activated it'll wipe out every last one of those damn Reaper things..."

Shepard clenched his teeth, and nodded slowly, as he continued to gaze up at the impressive element core.

"And three..." Gordon continued with a heavy sigh. "The gravity gun will discharge an over abundance of energy, triggering a cataclysmic energetic event that'll make Black Mesa look like a high school lab accident... And probably compress this entire quadrant of space into a singularity..."

"What?" "It can what?" "It'll do what?" Tali, Shepard, and Miranda all outbursted nearly in unison, as they turned to Gordon with flabbergasted expressions on their faces.

"Look, it's not the likely scenario..." Gordon assured, giving a quick shrug of his shoulders. "But it is a possibility. And if I can't do this, we're all dead anyway..."

"See those four devices up there?" Gordon asked, as he pointed up to the cavern ceiling, to four metallic objects suspended above, and around the colossal element core. "Those round things that look like giant, metal tires. I'm fairly certain those are dark energy field dampeners."

"They're a safeguard, made for funneling off any excess energy generated..." Gordon continued to explain, as he looked back at the three beside him. "It's what we didn't have at Black Mesa. The only problem is, with a sample this size, there's no guarantee they can contain it. But this machine is the only chance we've got."

"Well... I've got faith in you, Dr. Freeman..." Commander Shepard assured, as he nodded at Gordon. "I know you can do this..."

"Thanks..." Gordon replied, with a nervous smile on his face. "Alright, I'll give you guys what? About eight minutes? That should be enough for you to get clear, and make it back to the surface."

"What are you talking about?" Shepard questioned, perplexed. "Why not just start it up, and we'll all get outta here together."

A sudden lamented look overtook Gordon's face, as he bowed his head and looked away. "Commander... There is no 'outta here' for me..."

"What do you mean...?" Shepard beckoned, with a heavy bit of concern in his voice. "What are you talking about?"

Gordon sighed.

"If I am successful in generating the necessary reaction..." He paused for a moment, as a chill settled into his body. "This entire chamber will be bathed in deadly heat, and radiation in a matter of moments... There is no outta here for me..." He reiterated, shaking his head.

"No!" Miranda asserted suddenly. "No, w-we'll find another way then!"

"That's right, no one gets left behind!" Shepard concurred, waving a hand in front of him, as if to wave off the idea itself. "We'll find some other way."

"There's no time to find another way!" Gordon exclaimed, with a mixture of anger, frustration, and sorrow. "There is no other way, can't you see that? Those Reaper creatures have come through... You of all people know what they're capable of... Every second we waste could be more lives being lost..." Gordon paused for a moment as he shook his head and took a few deep breaths.

"And even if we could find some way to repair this thing, do you think they're just gonna sit back and let us do it? Look what it took to get here!"

Shepard bowed his head as he began to realize what Gordon was saying was true.

"Please, let me do this..." Gordon pleaded, as he felt a knot swell up in his throat. "This is what you brought me back for... Let me finish what I started on Earth all those years ago..."

"No, there's always another way. We'll find another way!" Miranda demanded pleadingly, exhibiting a side of herself no one had ever seen, as she came up to Gordon and placed a hand on the side of his shoulder. "You don't have to do this!"

Gordon looked into her eyes as they began to glaze over with fluid despite her best attempts to fight it back.

"He's right, Miranda..." Shepard reluctantly admitted, his head still bowed. "It's the only way..."

Miranda was silent for a moment, bowing her head as her lips began to quiver. "Then I'm staying too..."

"What?" Gordon exclaimed in shock. "No! That's crazy!"

"You don't have to do this!" She declared in an angry, trembling voice. "You don't have to just stay here, and die alone!"

"...Yes I do..." He said in a whisper. "My time has long since passed..."

"I'm sorry..." He mouthed the words, as his hand slowly reached up towards her face. Before he could touch her, she cringed her eyes with a sniffle, abruptly turned away from him, and took a few steps forward – embracing herself with her own arms, like someone huddling for warmth.

Gordon breathed a despondent sigh, letting his hand drop to his side as Tali walked up to him.

"Are you sure you want to do this...?" She asked with a heart heavy voice.

Gordon looked up at her. He didn't give a verbal response, he simply nodded with a determined, yet woeful expression in his eyes.

"I'm going to miss you, Dr. Freeman..."

"Heh..." He couldn't help himself from letting out a lament mired chuckle under his breath, as he bowed his head. "Well, if there is such a thing as an afterlife, I know I'll miss you too Miss Tali..."

She leaned forward with open arms, and the two shared a tender embrace.

"You were the first to show me friendship in this strange, new reality..." He uttered in a hushed tone, as they held each other. "Thank you..."

"May the life that finds you treat you better than this one ever did..." She replied in a trembling voice, as tears rolled down her cheeks under her faceplate. "Keelah Se'lai..."

As they pulled away, Freeman was greeted by The Commander slowly stepping up to him. They were silent for a moment, as they looked at one another with forced grins.

"Gordon..." Shepard said, as he extended his hand.

"John..." The Doctor replied, as he reciprocated the gesture and the two shared a slow handshake, with armored gloves.

"We made one hell of a dream team, didn't we?" Shepard questioned with a forlorn smile on his face.

"The best..." Gordon smiled. "It's been my greatest honor to serve under you, Commander Shepard..."

"No, Doctor Freeman." Shepard shook his head, with Gordon's hand still clasped. "It's been MY greatest honor to serve _beside_ you..."

The two leaned in, collapsing on their own arms, as they shared a quick embrace, before releasing one another. As Shepard stood aside, he revealed Miranda behind him, slowly walking up to Gordon, with her arms still crossed in a grief stricken fashion.

"Ms. Lawson, I..."

Suddenly, as he began; without thought or hesitation she came up to him, threw her arms around him, and squeezed him tightly. There was only one other person who had ever embraced him like that. It shocked him a bit at first, but it didn't take more than a second for him to reciprocate. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but he didn't have the words. Instead, he simply stopped and held her tight, and close, as twin teardrops trickled down his cheeks, from behind his glasses.

"Damn you..." She said to him, in a quivering, lament filled voice, as a stream of tears poured from her closed eyes.

"I'm sorry..." He uttered mournfully, gently rubbing her back, as he listened to her sniffle over his shoulder. Just then, she squeezed him even tighter, as tight as she possibly could, as if never wanting to let go.

"Come on, Miranda..." Shepard said mildly, as the two shared a heartbreaking embrace. "We gotta get moving..."

"You gotta go..." Gordon whispered as he slowly pulled away.

As Miranda tore herself away, she bowed her head, nodding as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with her palm before she slowly turned away to join Shepard and Tali.

"Th... That tunnel should lead to an area just outside the vortigaunt village..." Tali stuttered a bit; studying a three-dimensional projection of the underground network on her omni-tool, as she pointed to a passage on the left, perpendicular to the one they used to gain entry.

"Then lets move..." Shepard ordered with a sigh, the three slowly beginning to walk away reluctantly, as Gordon turned towards the eezo core, and picked his gravity gun back up.

"Take care of yourselves..." Gordon said in an unheard whisper, as a heavy burden weighed on his heart.

With bowed heads, and heavy hearts Shepard, Tali, and Miranda slowly walked away from their friend... their ally... their loved one...

As they reached the exit, Shepard stopped, and turned back one last time, while Tali and Miranda proceeded forward. Almost as if cued to do so, perhaps due to the feeling one gets when they feel eyes watching them, Gordon turned and faced the Commander as well.

Just then, unlike the awkward one he had presented him with when he recently awoke, Gordon stood at attention, in the distance, and presented Shepard with a disciplined, respectful salute – showing the full semblance of a soldier as Commander Shepard proudly returned the gesture.

"You really are The One Free Man..." Shepard said to himself, with a gleam of admiration in his eyes.

Slowly letting his hand drop back down to his side, he bowed his head, clenched his lips, and turned to walk away...


	38. Chapter 38  Downfall Part 1

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 38: Downfall (Part I)**

**Call to Arms**

"This is Echo twenty. We are under heavy fire from multiple contacts, but we'll hold this position for as long as we can."

"Charlie leader to Viper-One! We've taken heavy losses! The Tai Shan, and the Budapest are down! Requesting immediate reinforcements. Transmitting coordinates!"

"This is Delta leader to Viper-One. We have attained visual confirmation of Quarian SV rendezvous."

"Roger Delta-One. Quarian SVs are buddy-spiked. Do not engage."

"Copy that. Sure hope they know what they're getting into. They've already lost four cruisers out here. What in god's name is it gonna take to stop these things...?"

"Mayday! Mayday! This is Captain Courduff of the Denali! Shields have failed! Multiple hull breaches! Port side thrusters are offline! Transmitting coordinates, requesting immedia..."

The sudden crackle of static that tore through the Normandy's cockpit made Joker cringe a bit, as it sent a chill down his spine. He was slouched down in his seat a bit – leaning back and listening intently as he clasped his hands together contemplatively, holding them over his chin, just below his lips.

"God damn..." He uttered in a hushed voice, as he listened to the Alliance radio chatter. "They're really hitting the Alliance hard... It's like nothin' can stop 'em..."

"Based solely on the data in the military transmissions I've decrypted," EDI replied, as her hologram flashed beside Joker. "the Alliance has lost approximately forty-two percent of its entire fleet force, not counting its contingents on the ground."

"Shit..." Joker expressed in a loud, shocked whisper, as he leaned forward in his seat. "Well, whatever it is Shepard and the others have planned... they'd better do it soon. Otherwise we're gonna end up lookin' for a new planet... And I'm pretty sure all the good ones are taken."

"I do not believe the Reaper's intentions are solely to ravage the planet, Mr. Moreau." EDI's glowing form responded. "The Reapers operate through a process of systematic eradication. Once the indigenous life on Earth has been eliminated, it is likely they will..."

"Yes EDI, I know!" Joker exclaimed, as he rolled his eyes and slouched back down in his seat, letting his arms drop down to the sides over the armrests. "Jeez, it was just a joke... I'm tryin' to keep my spirits up, here..."

"I see..." EDI replied, with what some might interpret to be mild embarrassment in her voice. "My apologies, Mr. Moreau..."

"Forget it..." Joker said with a sigh, as he draped his hands across his stomach and went back to listening to the radio comms.

"Shepard to assault teams!" Joker was a bit surprised to suddenly hear the Commander's voice come in, over the radio. "Status report!"

"Well it's about time!" Joker said, as he eagerly sat up and leaned forward once more. "Turn it up, EDI. I wanna hear this."

"Shepard!" Garrus' voice was the first to resonate over the Commander's radio, as he, Tali, and Miranda navigated a dim-lit tunnel. "Where the hell have you been? We've been through hell up here!"

The Commander held his hand to his ear as the three of them made haste to the surface, at a pace that was quicker than a jog, but not quite a sprint. This passage seemed to have a lot more bends, and turns than the one they had used to descend into the depths, but it was fairly linear. Aside from the three distinctive beams of light shining out from their omni-tools, the only lighting was that of a few strange, native, plant-life stalks, that receded into the ground when they felt threatened, as the three hurried by.

"What's happened?" Shepard demanded.

"We've got major problems up here, Commander." Jacob's voice interjected over his radio. "We're completely split up, and cut off from the control room. There's a Reaper out here, and its raining hell down on anything that moves. There's no way we can make it..."

Jacob's report brought a flushed look to Shepard's expression, as his pace suddenly slowed to a stop, causing Tali and Miranda to stop behind him. Miranda still held a look of despondence on her face, despite her best efforts to mask it, as she kept her head turned away. She pretended to look around and study the inside of the cavern wall, but the knot in her throat told the real story.

"Shit..." Shepard said to himself, as he assessed the grim situation, briefly pulling his hand away from his ear. He clenched his teeth and his lips, as he looked around slightly, hoping some sort of idea would don on him. After a momentary silence, he shook his head frustratedly, and pressed his hand to his ear once more.

"Alright, we're on our way up." He informed. "Just be ready to move when we get there. Shepard out."

"Copy that, Commander." "Understood, Shepard." Jacob's voice acknowledged, followed by Garrus', as Shepard released his communicator.

"Damn it, my ammo's spent." He said, suddenly remembering, as he patted the empty ammo compartments on his belt. "I need a few clips."

"Here..." Miranda offered in a docile tone, just as Tali reached for the ammo reserves on her belt. "Take mine. I'll stick to my biotics."

As he turned to face her, one by one she pulled the thermal clips off their compartments on her belt, and handed them to Shepard.

"Thanks, Miranda." He nodded as he took them, noticing the lost, listless expression on her face.

"Hey." He called out in a firm, yet empathetic voice, causing Miranda to look up at him. "I need you focused. Are you here...?"

She abruptly stood up straight, and did her best to drown out her dejected expression with one of resolve. "In all respects, Commander."

"Good." He said with an affirming nod, as he pulled his assault rifle off his back. "Lets keep moving."

The three proceeded forward; two beams of light shining now, as Shepard loaded one of his newly acquired clips into his rifle's chamber.

"Commander, this is Joker. Do you copy?" The familiar voice, of his trusted pilot, came in over his radio, as he finished locking the clip firmly into place.

"I read you, Joker." He replied, taking one hand off his rifle to press it to his ear once more.

"Uh... I was thinking." He began nervously. "If I'm lucky enough... I could probably use the Normandy to distract that Reaper while you guys try..."

"No. Forget it, Joker." Shepard refuted almost immediately, shaking his head adamantly. "The Normandy couldn't stand up to a Reaper. You'd be easy prey for that thing."

"No, I know but... I mean if..." Joker stuttered in response. "I can probably buy you guys enough time to make it into that control room, or whatever. Come on, Shepard. At least let me try..."

"Joker, the answer is NO." He affirmed sternly, as they continued on – Shepard now beginning to quicken his pace, forcing Tali and Miranda to correspond. "You are to remain stationary unless I tell you otherwise. That's an order. Understood?"

There was a brief radio silence, before he eventually received a response.

"Understood, Commander..." Joker acknowledged, with the disappointed traces of a sigh in his voice.

"Alright... Shepard out..."

He pulled his hand off his ear, as they continued forward, navigating their way through the dark, damp tunnel system.

"Sorry, Joker..." Shepard said under his breath, audible only to himself. "But I'm not losing anyone else on this thing... Not unless it's me..."

"Yeah, understood my ass..." Joker uttered under his breath, as he sat up, slid his chair forward, and began manipulating the Normandy's controls.

The hum of the Normandy's engines suddenly kicked in, as Joker began to bring various systems online.

"The Commander gave you a direct order, Mr. Moreau..." EDI's hologram informed, as she watched Joker work.

"Yeah, well... Sometimes you just gotta do what your gut tells ya..." Joker scoffed, as he continued to initiate take-off procedure.

The hum of the Normandy's powerful propulsion system grew louder, and the ship began to vibrate, as Joker manipulated his various holographic switches, dials, and controls.

"Shepard of all people should understand that."

Suddenly, his control panel went dark. The screen disappeared, the cockpit console dissipated and the roaring hum of the engines slowly faded to silence.

"Hey, wh... What the hell?" Joker exclaimed in an outrage, as he watched his station shut down. "What's going on? What happened?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Moreau..." EDI replied, her shape being the only illuminated entity remaining in the cockpit. "But I cannot allow you to disobey a direct order..."

"Aw no, no... EDI, don't do this!" Joker pleaded in a muffled voice, as he placed his hands over his face, and shook his head.

He slowly dragged his palms downward, stretching his cheeks down with his fingertips, as he groaned frustratedly.

"Come on EDI, you can't do this!" Joker beseeched desperately, as he swiveled his chair toward her, and leaned forward. "Don't lock me out, please! Don't ground me!"

EDI was silent for a moment, as an almost palpable tension filled the room. Her holographic imagers hummed softly, and the baby blue light from her visage painted the room in a bejeweling, azure glow. From her optic sensors on the bridge, she could see the pleading expression on Joker's face – the despair and desperation etched in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jeff..." She finally replied, in a reluctant, regretful tone.

"Hey! Now you listen to me!" Joker exclaimed in a sudden, enraged outburst. "You're the AI, I'm the pilot! And that means when I tell you to do something, you do it! Got it?"

He sat glaring angrily at his holographic assistant, waiting for some sort of response, or better yet, compliance. But none came...

"Bah!" He griped angrily, as he reclined back in his seat, and crossed his arms with a scowl on his face.

"Damn sanctimonious software..." He grumbled to himself, as he looked out of the windows, at the rocky formations outside.

"Well then at least turn the radio transmissions back on!" He demanded, as he turned his head towards her, still giving her the same incensed glare. "I wanna at least be able to hear what's happening."

"Bravo-12, I have visual on bogey at your seven o'clock, bearing five one degrees three seven decimal zero North, zero zero one degrees four niner decimal five West. Over."

The Normandy's cockpit was once again filled with the Alliance's radio communications, as they vied for the fate of the human home world, against a ruthless, unrelenting enemy.

Joker slouched back down in his seat, his arms still crossed, as his angry scowl slowly faded to a look of defeat. He released a long, drawn-out sigh.

"Sure hope Shepard's got somethin' up his sleeve..."

* * *

Small beads of sweat dotted the helmsman's forehead, as he maneuvered the massive vessel through the bedlam outside. The entire ship canted to the right suddenly, it's remaining thruster engines firing at their topmost capacities, as he banked a sharp right turn.

A blinding pillar of scarlet light swept across the Orizaba's forward windows, with a high pitched buzz, narrowly missing the dreadnought by mere feet.

"All ships lock on. Full-power to the torpedo array!" Admiral Hackett shouted abruptly, as the shadowy, metallic, beast outside raised its front, tentacle-like extremity, to line up a second attack. Two sinister golden eyes seemed to gaze straight into the windows, as the lights on the bridge dimmed drastically when their power was diverted.

"FIRE!"

As a gleaming orb of red light began to pulsate from the protrusion attached to the Reaper's hull, the Orizaba let forth a frenzied volley of fully charged firepower. Plasma cannons, Thanix cannons, and Javelin Disruptor Torpedoes shot forth from the barrels of each of the guns mounted onto the Alliance warships, in the immediate vicinity, all concentrating on the same target.

Moments before it was able to discharge its primary weapon, what was generally perceived to be the head of the massive leviathan, suddenly burst into an orange cloud of flames, as the Reaper was consumed by a violent battery of artillery. This quickly triggered a devastating chain reaction, that engulfed the entire vessel's hull in a matter of seconds, as its smoldering wreckage went crashing down onto the Earth below.

The ship's crew suddenly erupted into a rabble of cheers, howls, and hollers, once they watched the flaming debris sink in the window, and succumb to a fiery grave. Only one among them kept their composure, as his weary eyes watched the fiery embers dance outside.

As the galaxy was suddenly plunged into war between titans and termites, the Earth had been veiled within a curtain of darkness and light. Where the skies were blackened; the warming caress of the sunlight, and the enchanting gleam of the moonlight were now blocked out by the fleets and Reapers dueling in the skies. The cities below were also illuminated; painted in vibrant hues of red and orange from eruptions of fire, and the bombardment of crimson lances of light.

As the reality of the dismal situation, after such a petty victory, quickly returned; the cheers slowly began to dwindle, and the Orizaba's personnel returned to their duties. Admiral Hackett took a deep breath, and closed his eyes before asking a question he really wasn't sure he wanted the answer to.

"How many is that...?"

"Ahem... five sir..." Captain Donaghy's steadfast voice replied, after briefly clearing her throat. She too was unable to contain herself amidst the all too brief celebration.

"Five? Five what? Five hundred...?" Hackett interrogated, as he opened his eyes, and turned to look at his Captain, with a perplexed look, and a slightly raised eyebrow.

"N-no, sir... Five..." She reiterated, standing up straight with her hands behind her, as she looked up, away from the Admiral - avoiding his eyes. "The Quarians have taken two down over South America. The Citadel Fleet reported one down a few minutes ago over Greenland. And this one, plus the one that Zulu took down over Japan makes five, sir..."

"Five..." Hackett seethed through his teeth, as he turned his head away and fumed silently, taking in several, pronounced breaths. "Five down... out of ten-thousand..."

"Thirteen, sir..." Donaghy added reluctantly, as she swallowed an uneasy gulp, and turned back towards the Admiral.

"What...?" Hackett asked, as he turned back with a jerk, his eyes somewhat narrowed.

"We uhm..." The Captain replied with a stutter, as a chill shook her body. "We last calculated their numbers at... uh... over thirteen-thousand, sir..."

"And we're celebrating five, Captain?" Hackett scolded angrily. "Don't these damn things have any weakness whatsoever?"

"No sir. None that we can identify..." Donaghy replied, in an almost timid tone. "You remember, of course, the schematic read-out we had received from Anderson."

"Right, the one he had gotten from Shepard."

"Yes, sir." She continued. "Well according to that read-out, the entire hulls of these things are made up of some strange, new, high-density alloy. It's stronger than anything we've ever seen. They also have some sort of repulsive technology that far exceeds our kinetic barriers... Regrettably, the only real way to take them down is to..."

"Whittle away at them until they've sustained enough damage TO go down..." Hackett interjected, finishing the Captain's sentence for her, as he slowly shook his head.

"Yes, sir..." She said with a sigh. "And unfortunately, they dish out a lot more than they take..."

Admiral Hackett was silent for a moment, as he rested his chin against his fist, and nodded his head.

"Just make sure all our squadrons are concentrating fire on individual targets." He eventually said, speaking into his knuckles as he kept his head resting on his hand. "We can take them down one at a time if noth..."

"Sir!" The gravely alarmed voice of one of the crewmen on the bridge suddenly called out, startling and interrupting the Admiral's instructions. "We've got incoming! Enemy activity above atmo over the North Western hemisphere!"

"What sort of activity?" Hackett demanded, as he stood up from his seat. Captain Donaghy quickly turned, and rushed over to the shouting crewman.

"Enemy fleet, sir!" The panicked officer replied, as the Captain came up to him, and leaned over his shoulder to observe his instruments. "A large armada of ships exiting FTL speeds over North America, and beginning dispersion."

"Are you telling me there are more of these damn things?" Hackett yelled, in angry disbelief.

"You've gotta be kidding me..." Captain Donaghy said under her breath, with a grimace, as she studied the crewman's readout.

"It's not them, sir..." She yelled out worriedly, as she turned to look back at the Admiral, after having gotten a good look at the crewman's terminal.

"Then who the hell is it?" Hackett demanded angrily, as he felt a shiver rattle his body, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

"It's the geth, sir..." Donaghy answered, with a tinge of fear in her voice, and a look of contempt in her eyes. "They really are in league with these things... They must've waited until we were at our most vulnerable, knowing the timing for an attack would be perfect..."

"The geth...?" Hackett questioned under his breath, as he furrowed his brow, and began processing the situation in his mind.

"Admiral Hackett, sir!" The voice of the ship's communications officer called out, just then, snapping Hackett's glance up towards him. "Incoming transmission from Admiral Shala'Raan of the Dreyya!"

"Put it through, Barnes." Hackett ordered, as he took a quick step forward, stepping off the small platform that supported his seat.

A bright beam of light shone up from the holographic display terminal before him, and crackled for a moment, before taking the shape of a gray veiled quarian.

"Admiral Hackett." The Quarian Admiral began, with a somber tone. "We have confirmed the presence of a large number of geth crafts, above Earth's atmosphere."

"As have we, Admiral." Hackett replied, showing a bit of an addled expression on his face – it wasn't so much concern that he expressed, as it was confusion.

"Sir, they're breaching atmosphere, and coming into attack range of our squadrons!" The Orizaba's Captain yelled out, still watching the ship's instruments closely. "Permission to initiate preemptive attack."

"No!" Hackett immediately ordered, shaking his head, as he pointed a stern finger at Donaghy. "Not yet, Captain. No one fire's on the geth until I give the order, understood?"

"Aye, sir."

"Admiral Hackett. The geth's arrival here is a most disconcerting development..." Shala'Raan's visage stringently informed, as she gently shook her head. "We advise you to do as we will, and concentrate your attacks on the geth vessels, which we know to be more vulnerable than those of the other attackers."

"Admiral Shala'Raan, I respectfully request that you hold your fire on the geth ships..." Hackett pleaded, as he turned back to face the flickering holographic screen.

"I cannot condone this, Admiral..." Shala'Raan replied, waving a dismissive hand in front of her. "We must not falter. Hesitation could prove to be a costly mistake. And at this point, there is no margin for mistakes..."

"I kn... I realize that, Admiral!" Hackett immediately asserted, nodding and lowering his head, as he closed his eyes and held a hand up in a flustered state. "But I'm asking you to please... just give me the benefit of the doubt... Call it an old spacer's instinct, but something just doesn't add up about this..."

High above terra firma; above ruined cities, falling nations, and a contested planet – the Fleets of the galaxy waged what seemed to be a futile war. For every Reaper that managed to fall at their hands, the price to pay was the blood of thousands...

And higher still, above that; above the clouds and the skies. Above the troposphere and stratosphere – where oxygen is rare, and temperatures are low, an armada of insect-like ships began to descend and disperse throughout the Earth, in a systematic, grid-like pattern. But these vessels were not like the Reapers. Where the obsidian giants bore a resemblance to that of a squid, or cuttlefish – these new arrivals seemed more like giant, metallic beetles.

They had a rounded design, composed of what could be called the abdomen and thorax of the ship, attached to to a bulbous fore, that could easily be mistaken for a head. And underneath – several tucked in landing struts that, to the unknowing eye, could be mistaken for insectoid appendages. There were no windows on these ships, only a wide array of sensory instrumentation. To the geth, windows were only viewed as structural weaknesses.

And as they entered the attack range of the contending fleets below, without hesitation, or restraint, they immediately began to open fire...

"Sir!" Captain Donaghy called out, as the reports and readings of the assault came in. "The geth have initiated their attack!"

"Damn it!" Hackett said through his teeth, as he bucked his head slightly, with the Quarian Admiral's countenance still looking on. "All ships, prepare to return fire..." He said with a sigh, as he pointed forward.

"No sir..." Donaghy refuted, as she looked back at him, with a confounded expression on her face. "They aren't attacking us... They're attacking the enemy."

"Heh..." Admiral Hackett wasn't able to contain himself from releasing a held back chuckle, as he cracked a grin.

"Yes, our readings confirm the same." Admiral Shala'Raan acknowledged, as she looked down, perhaps at a terminal before her, or at something in her hands. "Surprisingly, the geth have begun to open fire on the Reapers as they spread throughout the various regions of this world."

"I predicted as much." Hackett assured.

"How?" Shala'Raan beckoned, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders in disbelief. "How did you know?"

"As I said, Admiral. An old spacer's instinct..." Admiral Hackett replied, as he placed his hands behind his back. "The geth we've combated before were usually small cells, or contingents. Not a full-scale militant force like this. They were pawns of the Reaper that attacked the Citadel two years ago. And everyone knows, in chess you send the pawns in first... Not last..."

Admiral Shala'Raan nodded for a moment, as she took in the information.

"Uh... Sir, I'm picking up an incoming transmission from one of the geth cruisers..." The ship's CO informed, in a very perplexed tone.

"A transmission?" Hackett inquired, as a puzzled look came over his face. "Put it through, Barnes."

No hologram appeared. Instead, an audio channel was opened, as it echoed across the bridge. It was a strange series of rapid clicking and chirping sounds. The kind the geth were known to make. A human, however, didn't posses the capability to make heads or tails of such drivel.

"Barnes, what is this...?" The Admiral asked, annoyed, as he furrowed his brow in confusion, futilely attempting to make sense of the noise.

"Uh, it's... it's some sort of binary, machine language, sir." Barnes answered, as he worked feverishly at his station. "The computer's trying to translate it now."

A separate, orange holographic screen appeared besides the staticy visage of the Quarian Admiral, as it began to display several lines of text.

"We are assist. Contention with creators, want we do not. Conquest of old machines, come to pass, befall, transpire. Must not." Hackett read aloud, as the words appeared before him - struggling a bit to make sense of the odd syntax.

"Barnes..." Hackett called out, his eyes still studying the text. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"It's a rough translation, sir." Barnes replied, as he swiveled around in his chair a bit to face the Admiral. "It's the best the computer could do. But yes, I think it means they're friendly."

"Hmm..." Hackett pondered to himself, as he looked up at Shala'Raan's image. "Well Admiral, it would seem the geth's purpose here, is a benevolent one."

"So it would seem, Admiral Hackett." The quarian replied, less than convinced. "By Keelah, may we be so lucky. But the geth's arrival here is still rather unnerving for us... Know this. The instant they show the slightest sign of marked aggression towards us, we will not hesitate to retaliate. Shala'Raan out."

The human Admiral breathed a long, exasperated sigh, as the projection of the quarian faded away before him – part of it was breathed in relief, and part in frustration. He turned around, and took a step up to his seat at the center of the bridge, as Captain Donaghy approached him.

He was somewhat surprised to be greeted by her, when he turned to sit down, finding her already back at his side.

"Settle in, Captain..." He advised, in a weary voice, as he shook his head and sank a bit in his chair. "Because it looks as though Earth just became the battlefield to decide the fate of every sentient race in the known galaxy..."

"You don't know how true that is, sir..." Donaghy respectfully agreed, with a stern gaze in her eyes. "We just finished receiving word from the krogan clans of Tuchanka. They've entered the Sol System, and are on their way. ETA eleven minutes..."

* * *

"Siha..." A voice called out to her. It was a pleasant, familiar voice, though distant, and muffled, as if from a dream.

"Siha, can you hear me?" It entreated again, this time sounding even closer.

Her brow began to twitch, as her eyes began to dart back and forth beneath her eyelids.

"Mmmm..." She groaned faintly, as her eyelids began to peel apart. As she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a blurry, green figure watching over her, who slowly began to come into focus.

"Hey, frog legs..." Jack smiled, as she spoke in a weakly voice, reaching up to lightly caress the side of Thane's cheek.

"Welcome back..." Thane returned the smile, as he placed his hand over hers.

Jack began to stir, slowly sitting up, off of the cold, stone ground, with Thane knelt at her side. He took her hand between both of his, to give her a little added leverage. She gritted her teeth, and cringed a bit as she rose, gripping tightly onto the drell's hand, and using it to help pull herself up.

One of the vortigaunts stood beside Jack, opposite of Thane. It watched as she struggled to sit up, prepared to render assistance or aid in anyway possible.

Nearby, the other vorts congregated together – a small handful of no more than six or so. Their voices vibrated, as they whispered to one another in their own, native tongues - flux shifting, as their fallen leader once called it. They shook their heads dubiously, as they spoke – each with a look of worry and dread about their faces.

Garrus paced around anxiously, with one hand balled into a fist on his hip, and the other drawn over his forehead, as if shielding his eyes from the sun. He stopped, and looked out at the decimated vortigaunt village, tilting his head upward, able to catch only a partial glimpse of the Reaper that loomed overhead. He breathed a heavy sigh, as he shook his head and continued to pace.

The only real lighting in their refuge, was that given off by the face of their allegiant, geth teammate. Legion stood by silently, and motionlessly – holding his sniper rifle in a primed position, aimed down towards the ground. A wide array of mechanical sounds emanated from him, as various machine components motored back and forth within his head. Perhaps a geth's common appearance, when they are immersed in thought.

The canyon walls created a natural defensive canopy, above, and around them. The passageway was far too narrow and sinuous for any sort of aerial attack to be effective, even one from a Reaper. It was a cool, and dark place, obscured by shadows. The towering walls blocked out most of the natural lighting. Even the bright, ethereal, Xenian sky was barely visible from their vantage points, as it peeked through small gaps above.

"Good, you're awake." Garrus said as he approached, when he noticed Jack propped up on the ground. "I was worried we were gonna have to leave you here. You alright?"

"Fine..." Jack uttered, as she placed one hand against her forehead, and tried to shake the cobwebs out. "What's going on?"

"Can you stand, Siha?" Thane questioned, as he held his hand behind her back.

"Yeah, I think so..." She answered in a low, raspy voice. Slowly, she turned over, put one hand on the ground, and began to push herself up, as Thane helped her, gripping on to her other hand.

Her muscles and joints were still achy and stiff, but movement seemed to become easier as she got to her feet, and as her limbs began to limber up.

"Shepard wants us to be ready to move..." Garrus affirmed, with heavy doubt in his voice.

"Shepard?" Jack queried, as she stretched and rotated her neck and shoulders around, causing them to crack. "Why? What are we doin'? Is that fuckin' thing still out there?"

"Yeah, it sure is..." Garrus remarked with a bit of sarcastic enthusiasm, as he nodded his head. "But Shepard wants us to be ready to move nonetheless. I dunno... Hopefully he's got SOMETHING planned..."

* * *

They could hear a low whistling sound, as they approached the end of the tunnel. Light poured in from the surface, in the distance, illuminating the entrance with a natural radiance – a pleasing, and inviting sight after a long sojourn to the Xenian underground. The soft kiss of the fresh breeze blowing in felt good, as Shepard, Miranda, and Tali ascended the damp, humid passage – at least for those that could feel it.

"I'm going to destroy the collectors. To stop their attacks on humanity..." Shepard's thoughts prodded at him, as they dashed towards daylight. His mind rattled with the memories of the fateful day he, and his entire crew entered the Omega-4 Relay, with no delusions of ever coming back For they had ventured into the heart of darkness itself. A barren, dismal graveyard of archaic ships, ravaged by time, and forsaken by the living and the dead.

"We all knew this was likely a one way trip..."

"Our primary objective is to destroy the station, and stop the collectors. At any cost..."

"We win or lose it all in the next few minutes... Make me proud, make yourselves proud..."

But even then, through some miracle, or uncanny streak of tremendous luck, after a grueling, hard fought battle – they made it back alive. All of them...

"No one gets left behind..."

The three squinted a bit, when the light from the outside intensified, as they drew closer to the exit. Shepard brought his hand up to his face, to shield his eyes, still holding his rifle with the other. A dull pain crept into their pupils, before fading away as their eyes slowly adjusted.

"Hold it..." He said quietly, stopping dead in his tracks, as the three of them emerged. He put his hand out beside him, to halt Tali and Miranda from going any further.

There before them, upon a vast, bare plain of the planet, were all the ships that had brought the vorcha to Xen. They weren't set upon the ground the way normal ships would be. No, it was a virtual city of towers, and spires. Dozens of ships, resembling terrestrial debris, with intertwined machine components, sticking straight up, out of the ground.

"The collector ships..." Miranda whispered out loud, as she looked at the strange assembly of vessels before them.

"No, they're smaller than the ones the collector's used..." Shepard assured, as he recalled the sky-scrapping vessel they had encountered on Horizon. "And these belong to the vorcha. Look..."

The Commander pointed a finger out towards the middle of the pylon array. At their base, a few skittering ants could be seen. Armed vorcha patrols, walking back and forth, weaving in and around their various vessels. There didn't seem to be too many of them, but enough to deter them from drawing any unnecessary attention.

"This way." Tali chimed in. Still studying her omni-tool map, she tilted her head to the right, as she motioned towards a narrow geographic corridor, formed by the towering cliffs on either side. The same passage they had used when Alra led them into the vortigaunt village the first time.

Without speaking, Shepard pointed two fingers off towards the entry way, motioning for the two to go, as he kept his eyes glued to the activity at the ships. They carefully walked forward, staying as close as possible to the wall, doing their best to avoid any attention. Shepard followed along, cautiously walking backwards, keeping his weapon primed, and his finger on the trigger in the event they might be seen.

Finally reaching the boundary of the wall, and the edge of the corridor opening, their pace suddenly quickened again, as they bolted in, out of sight of the ships, towards the vortigaunt village.

* * *

"Mayday! Mayday! This is Captain Storch of the Annapurna. We are going down. I repeat, we are going down! All engines offline and kinetic barriers down to twenty-percent. It is unlikely they will withstand impact. Send immediate assistance! I repeat, send immediate assistance! Coordinates transmitted."

The panicked, pleading voice of the Annapurna's Captain made Joker bow, and shake his head remorsefully. He flinched as a chill ran down his spine, and his stomach began to churn with anxiety.

"Alpha One to Viper leader."

"Copy Alpha One, what's your status?"

"We are taking heavy fire, on the coastal region of Western Australia. We've lost majority of our ground forces, and the Punjab and Hyderabad are down... Advise immediate withdraw..."

"Negative Alpha One, that's a negative. Do not disengage. Press on. Mutual support will be maintained."

"...Roger Viper Leader. Will press on. Have received support from Citadel Fleet Cruisers. But the Turians are getting hammered worse than we are out here... Alpha One out."

"Viper One, this is Delta Twenty. We're gettin' slaughtered out here! We've lost multiple friendlies on scope, and these damn things just aren't going down. Requesting permission to retrograde."

Joker's gaze narrowed, and twitched a bit, as he swallowed at something in his throat. His eyes reflected more than just sorrow, or fear. They radiated a helplessness... Desperation...

"Listen to 'em EDI..." He said in a soft, mournful voice. He leaned back, breathing a heavy sigh, as he pressed the back of his head against the backing of his seat. He brought his hands up to his face, and rubbed it vigorously, stopping for a moment as he curled his fingertips into his eye sockets.

"God damn it..." He whispered into his palms, before pulling them away, and crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not sure even Shepard'll be able to pull this one off... Not this time..."

Just then, the Normandy's cockpit became illuminated as the controls suddenly came back online, before him. The hum of her powerful engines kicked in, and slowly began to escalate. Joker could feel the vibration under his seat, as control of the ship was returned to him.

"But, I thought..." Joker began, as he glanced over at EDI, with a look of confusion on his face.

"I've calculated the probability of failure for this mission at ninety-eight point seven percent, as long as the Reaper's presence remains." EDI replied, cutting Joker off as he slid forward in his seat, preparing to man his station.

"We'd be disobeying a direct order..." Joker affirmed, as he tilted his heard towards her with a sly smile on his face.

EDI's hologram flickered silently for a moment, before responding. "Sometimes you just have to do what your gut tells you to..."

"H'alright!" He exclaimed with a huge grin, and the makings of a chuckle, as he settled in and began to manipulate his control panel. "Now you're talkin'!"

Outside, the sudden howl from the Normandy's thrusters rattled the medical camp Dr. Chakwas had established, with the help of the some of the crew and the vorts, for their wounded.

"Now what's going on!" Dr. Chakwas shouted, although mostly talking to herself, as she held a hand up to shield her face from the gusty updraft, being kicked up.

She had been tending to a small vortigaunt child, with an arm and leg wrapped in bandages. This was the common sight throughout most of the camp, as many members of Shepard's crew rendered their aid to the wounded. Cots from the Normandy had been brought out, along with various medical supplies, and equipment. And a multitude of vorts laid resting, and recuperating from the assault of the ruthless vorcha's invasion.

"Attention crew!" Joker's voice echoed throughout the depths of the ship, grabbing the attention of whoever remained on-board. "This is Joker. I just thought you ought'a know that we're about to go tango with a Reaper. Anyone who wants to chicken out can get off now. Everyone else strap in and hold on... Cuz it's gonna be a wild ride."

Much of the crew was outside, doing what they could to help the vortigaunts. Crew members like Kelly Chambers, or Mess Sergeant Gardner. Those whose jobs entailed the technical upkeep of the Normandy, however, were still manning their stations inside - such as engineers Donelly and Daniels. All those on board heard Joker's message. Some of them felt a shiver creep up their spines. Others held their breaths, and nodded resolutely. But none of them headed for the exits.

"Drive core powering up, operating at full capacity." Joker said to himself, as he checked various systems, and worked his controls for take-off. "Kinetic barriers engaged. Mass effect field generators online. Engines one, two, three, and four active. All compartments sealed, all systems operational and weapons are hot..."

A sinister smile overtook his face, as he pulled the brim of his cap down, firmly above his eyes. "Let's go bag us a Reaper!"

A gust of hot air blew throughout the medical camp, as two brilliant flare of blue light shot out from the Normandy's thrusters. It slowly pulled off the ground, hovering in place, as the landing struts retracted into its hull. It steadily climbed into the air, as Dr. Chakwas, members of the crew, and the vortigaunts all looked on. A powerful thrust, and the Normandy shot forward, with an incredible burst of acceleration. In the blink of an eye, it was out of sight to those below, as it took off towards the village, in pursuit of a Reaper...


	39. Chapter 39  Downfall Part II

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 39: Downfall (Part II)**

**Puppet Master**

"The Shepard returns!" One of the vorts exclaimed jubilantly, when he noticed the three silhouettes approaching from the depths of the long passage.

The small vortigaunt force that had accompanied Jacob's team stood by, looking on eagerly as Shepard, Tali, and Miranda rejoined them.

The Commander held a determined look on his face, as he quickly began to weave through the small sea of vorts, making his way to the front, towards Jacob and the others. It was the look of a man with a purpose - solid, driven and unflinching. Seeing this, the vortigaunts themselves slowly began to clear a path for him. Tali and Miranda followed closely, though Miranda's eyes seemed to drift at times - glazed over with dejection.

"The Free Man does not accompany you?" The voice of one of the vortigaunts suddenly spoke up, as Shepard neared the front.

He stopped, and turned to face the vort. His determination turned to despondence, as the two locked eyes briefly. The Commander's eyes sank, as he clenched his lips and shook his head in an almost apologetic fashion.

"The Free Man has fallen..." "The Free Man's cord has been cut..." "Gone is The Free Man..." "All is lost..." A string of murmurs and whispers overtook the agglomeration of vorts, as the one that spoke to Shepard bowed his head in mournful contemplation.

Jacob watched it all transpire, as he stood leaning against the wall, near the opening that lead to the village, with his arms crossed. He knew only too well what it meant. Breathing a heavy sigh, he shook his head, pushed himself away from the wall, and stood up straight.

"Commander." Jacob's voice caught Shepard's attention, coming from the front of the corridor. Shepard looked up to see him, Grunt, Mordin, and Samara standing near the entrance.

Briefly turning back to the lamenting vort once more, the Commander placed a sympathetic hand on its shoulder, and clutched it tightly.

"His sacrifice will not be in vain..." Shepard affirmed, the perseverance in his eyes shining through the remorse. "I swear it..."

"We're gonna beat these things." He nodded at the vort, holding his hand on it's shoulder for a moment, before reluctantly withdrawing it, and walking forward.

"Jacob." Shepard called out, as the two met up. He acknowledged the rest of his team with a sturdy nod, as they gathered around upon his arrival. "What are we lookin' at?"

"See for yourself..." Jacob replied dubiously, as he leaned his body outside, peeking out, from under the tunnel ceiling at the black, metal menace looming overhead.

Shepard gazed up at the Reaper's familiar form, floating above. Its titanic dimensions blanketed a huge portion of the settlement below. And its tentacles seemed to sway a bit, almost as if it was adrift in some unseen, spectral ocean above. Like an angel shark buried in the sand, waiting for its prey to swim by, unsuspectingly.

He then brought his stare down, towards the eviscerated vortigaunt village – seeing the devastation for the first time. The last time he saw it, families dwelled in these homes. An aqueduct system carried water on a track overhead. Vortigaunt children played in the distance. A farmer tilled the soil, with the aid of an antlion guard. And communion was shared, as they broke bread over a feast.

"There's no way of reaching that control room..." Jacob affirmed, shaking his head as he and Shepard stood looking out at the scorched expanse, where a settlement once stood. "That thing's watchin' like a hawk, frying anything that moves..."

Shepard stood in quiet contemplation, appraising the situation, as he placed his hands on his hips and stared up at the Reaper.

"What about biotics?" He questioned, as he looked down at his team. "Could we protect ourselves with a biotic barrier?"

"I don't think we could generate a barrier strong enough..." Jacob stated, with a high degree of doubt in his voice. "And from what I've seen, that thing packs a hell of a punch."

"It may be possible if the three of us combined energies..." Samara added, as she looked back and forth between Miranda and Jacob. "However, it is still doubtful that we could sustain it long enough to reach the control center, from here..."

"What if you had some sort of distraction?" Shepard questioned, as his mind processed an idea. "Something to draw its fire temporarily while you advanced."

"It would give us a very small window of opportunity..." Samara answered, with mild uncertainty. "But it may be possible..."

"How are we supposed to distract that thing?" Jacob beckoned, as he shook his head, still retaining a number of qualms.

"Alright, look. Here's what we're gonna do." Shepard asserted, as his team listened intently. "I'm gonna go out there, and get its attention..."

"What?" Tali demanded, as she suddenly exhaled in shock.

The entire team's eyes opened wide with alarm, at the insane notion. "You're outta your mind!" Was pretty much the mutual thought that resounded in their heads.

"I can draw its fire away from the rest of you, long enough for you to make it to that door!" Shepard exclaimed, as he looked around at the faces of his crew, stopping as he came to the gleaming eyes of his beloved.

"It has to be done, Tali..." He affirmed, in a pleading voice, as he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll be careful..."

"No offense, Commander..." Jacob interrupted, with a skeptical tone of voice. "But even you ain't THAT light on your feet. That thing'll vaporize you where you stand..."

"Afraid I must agree with Jacob." Mordin added, as he stepped forward, shaking a finger he held pointed upward. "Probability of avoiding Reaper fire on foot... Infinitesimal! But even so, for sake of argument – how can you be certain you can successfully draw its attacks?"

"Harbinger knew me, after we defeated Sovereign..." Shepard answered with a frustrated sigh, his patience obviously wearing thin. "There's a good chance this one knows me too. And likely gunning for me."

"Look, we don't have time to argue about this!" He asserted firmly, as he waved a hand in front of him. "Now when I get out about thirty yards – Miranda, I want you, Jacob, and Samara to..."

Out of nowhere, the cavern was suddenly rocked by the thunderous echo of an explosion, causing them all to duck their heads down on instinct.

"What the hell was that?" Jacob beckoned, as he looked around in frantic bewilderment.

Just then, another explosion, emanating from the outside, rocked the corridor interior again, causing a few of them to press their hands against the tunnel wall, to keep themselves steady. This time, the explosion was accompanied by the distinctive sound of a screaming starship engine blistering by.

Shepard turned around, and looked out, up towards the sky, with Jacob, Tali, and Miranda lining up beside him. Out of nowhere, a blazing blur of white steel and blue light zoomed towards the Reaper, unloading a furious cannonade of plasma fire. The side of the Reaper's hull was bathed by a maelstrom of blue flame, coating everything below in a blinding luminescence.

"It's the Normandy!" Miranda exclaimed, as she watched it zoom by overhead.

"Joker..." Shepard uttered to himself, reflecting a mixture of pride, dissatisfaction, concern and support.

"If he can draw the Reaper away from us, it'll be just the distraction we need!" Jacob assured with a newfound enthusiasm.

"Damn it Joker, watch your ass up there..." Shepard uttered to himself, as he watch the Normandy bombard the leviathan.

"Come on you son of a bitch, take the bait!" Joker sneered through gritted teeth, as he torqued his controls to make another pass.

The scenery outside streaked by in the windows, as the ship turned around rapidly. Four glowing eyes suddenly appeared in the distance, as Joker made a b-line, bearing straight down on the metal gargantuan.

"You know you want it... You know you want it you bastard!" Joker taunted, in an almost demented tone of voice, as he slammed his close fist down onto one of his controls. Doing so released another barrage of plasma fire from the Normandy's cannons, on course with the Reaper's head. Suddenly, it burst into an ineffectual ball of blue flames, like firecrackers tossed against an armored vehicle, as the beast raised a defiant tentacle in Joker's direction.

"Alert." EDI began, as a red orb of light quickly began to pulsate from its tip. "The Reaper's particle weapon is coming online..."

"Bring it!" Joker demanded, yanking back on his controls, just as a blinding red streak of light shot out at them.

It slashed across the sky, as the Normandy twirled off in a vertical direction, flying straight up into the air, then looping back around, leaving the entire ship completely upside down, before steadying out, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Just then, rattling the region below, and echoing across the heavens above, the metallic monster released an angry, blood-chilling roar as Joker made a wide turn in the distance, preparing to line up another shot.

Down on opposite ends of the vortigaunt village, the vorts, and both of the Commander's teams pressed their hands firmly against their ears, shielding them from the sudden deafening bellow.

"I think he made it angry..." Jacob shouted to Shepard, with his eyes squinted, and his hands still pressed to the sides of his head.

* * *

"Grr... Me hungry..." One of two vorcha patrolling around their ships, in a pair, declared angrily, as he placed one hand over his stomach.

"Me hungry too..." His partner hissed in agreement, as he turned and looked at one of the nearby ships. "And tired... Maybe can find food inside?"

The two nodded at one another, as they quickly began making their way to the ship. Throughout the whole area, a few vorcha patrolled in, out, and around the ships. Mostly just bumbling around, tracing their own footsteps – not doing a particularly good job of keeping a keen eye out for danger or discrepancies.

As the two hungry carnivores made their way towards the nearest ship, a sudden, sharp pain crept into their chests. And into the chests of every vorcha in the vicinity.

"Augh!" "Ugh!" "Ahhh!" They writhed and screamed in agony, all at once, as their bodies began to convulse, and a flare of golden light began radiating from their eyes.

It was the same inside the cavernous ships, for any of the creatures that were left behind, and not part of the initial attack group that occupied the vortigaunt village. Their bodies spasmed, their muscles tightened and clenched, their joints locked up, and they cried out in torment, as their eyes became pulsating beacons of devilish luminance.

Just then, the convulsions stopped. Their arms dropped down to their sides, and their heads drooped down against their chests, as their limbs went limp. They all stood there for a moment, perfectly still – their heads bowed, and their eyes closed, as a howling gust blew by. Suddenly, all in unison – they lifted their heads up, and opened wide their eyes, revealing a brilliant blaze of light radiating from each of their sockets.

"This annoyance will be dealt with..." A deep, chilling voice echoed from among them, though not a single one opened their mouths. "The annihilation of this bacterium has been delayed long enough... They will be consumed by the growing void..."

With their eyes ablaze, the sinister embodiments of the lone Reaper simultaneously drew their weapons, and turned their gaze towards a narrow opening along the towering, stone walls.

"Our dominance will not be denied..."

* * *

"That the best you got?" Joker shouted in the cockpit, as the entire ship canted left, only just avoiding the concentrated beam of light that nearly shaved the Normandy's underside.

He slammed his open palm hand down hard on his terminal, and the Normandy's twin thanix cannons let forth yet another battery of cerulean fire.

Joker pulled back on his controls hard, pulling away from the Reaper as the attacks riddled its entire body, from its head to what could be considered its tail. Not surprising in the least, was the fact that the attacks, once again, had no recognizable effect.

What was surprising, was that just then, the Reaper tucked its multiple appendages beneath its hull, making it more aerodynamically maneuverable, as it suddenly began to give chase to the Normandy.

"We seem to have gotten its attention, Jeff..." EDI informed from her terminal on the bridge, putting a wicked grin on Joker's face. "The Reaper has engaged us in pursuit."

"That's it, come to papa..." Joker said under his breath, as he watched the evil mass following him on radar.

"Let's play a little cat and mouse!" He smirked, as he shoved the throttle forward on his controls, granting the Normandy a sudden burst of acceleration, with the Reaper following in tow.

"I'll be damned..." Jacob uttered, as he watched the gargantuan silhouette quickly disappear, out of sight, over the edge of the canyon wall.

"Alright. Come on, move out!" Shepard ordered almost immediately, turning around to face his crew, and the vorts - signaling them to follow with a wave.

He darted out into the open, straight towards the sealed control room door far off in the distance, with the others following closely behind.

"Shepard to assault team one!" He called out, still on the move, as he pressed two fingers to his ear. "Converge on the control room. I repeat, converge on the control room!"

"Orders received, Shepard!" Garrus' voice replied, via his radio. "We're on our way."

"You heard the man!" Garrus declared, as he lowered his hand from his ear, and motioned for his team to follow, from their position on the opposite side of the village.

"Let's move!"

* * *

"That should be more than enough time, right...?" Gordon anxiously asked himself, as he stood on the outer edge beneath the colossal boulder of Element Zero. "Yeah, more than enough... I dunno, maybe a little more? No I think that's enough... And who the hell are you talking to?"

Gordon rambled nervously to himself, as sweat dripped off his forehead profusely. He could actually feel himself shaking, as his heart raced inside his chest. Although he had stared death in the face many times before, in a multitude of forms... This was the first time he knew it to be a certainty. And his life was not the only one hanging in the balance. He carried the burden of every sentient race in the galaxy on his shoulders, and he knew it.

The gravity gun was resting on the small, bulwark wall before him – still radiating with a vibrant blue hue, painting everything around it in a celestial tone. Gordon gulped at something in his throat, as he tugged at his armor's collar, trying fruitlessly to stretch it out as if to get some ventilation.

"Damn, it's hot in here..." He whispered to himself, as he smacked his lips at a sudden dryness in his mouth. "I'm getting thirsty..."

"Alright, alright, enough!" He told himself, as he brought his hands up to his face, and began rubbing it vigorously, pushing his glasses up over his forehead. "Now's not the time to be having second thoughts..." He said into his palms.

Gordon pulled his hands away from his face, breathed a heavy sigh, and reached out for his gravity gun. He gripped it tightly with both hands, the finger on his right hand hovering over the primary trigger.

"Uhm..." He began once more, in a shaky voice, turning his head up towards the cavern ceiling, as if searching for something. "Listen... If there's anyone or... anything up there... just... please, let this work..."

Meanwhile, as Gordon pleaded to a higher power, the lifeless body of one of the dozens of defiled vortigaunts, that laid strewn throughout the chamber, began to twitch. It was the same as all the rest, down to the last detail, save for one thing that made it unique; metallic green shackles that it wore on its hands and feet.

Strangely, its body began to sizzle and smoke, as its twitching, and jerking motions began to grow faster, and more violent. Sparks began flying out, as a red electrical discharge began arching out from its body, quickly beginning to burn whatever fleshy masses were left on it, leaving only the cybernetic components underneath.

"I know I've never been a man of faith..." Gordon continued, as he loosened his grip on the gravity gun a bit – his own anxiety and ambivalence making things hard for him. "It's always just been easier for me to... to accept things that were tangible... But I really think this is the reason that I'm here... And I really just need this to work..."

Near the main entrance of the chamber, the former vortigaunt leader continued to writhe, and twitch violently, as crimson light began to pour out of its mouth, and eyes. Its flesh was completely scorched away, leaving behind only a malevolent, machine skeleton. Its arms and legs began to extend, and blade-like claws and talons expanded from its hands and feet, as red energy continued to course throughout its body – completely unbeknownst to Gordon.

"So if you're up there!" Gordon shouted out, in a pleading, trembling voice, as the grip on his gravity gun tightened once more. "If you're listening to me...! Please... Forgive the wrongs that I have done... And please! Please! Let this work!"

"Whew..." He exhaled a deep, trembling sigh, as he torqued his neck around, and shook his shoulders a bit. "Okay... here goes nothing..."

In the instant it took for Gordon to beginning closing his finger around the trigger, he felt as though his armor suddenly began to tighten around his neck, as someone or something grabbed the back of his collar, yanked him away, and flung him with incredible strength, backwards.

The gravity gun flew out of Gordon's hands, landing on a nearby pile of corpses, as he was launched through the air. Everything seemed to happen so fast, it was just a blur of shapes and shadows, when he felt a sudden pain shoot into his back upon his sudden collision with the floor.

"W-Wha... Huh..."Gordon looked around, frantic and disoriented as he laid on his back, about forty feet away from where he had been standing.

Just then, something dropped into his sights, landing on the floor directly before him, as if having dropped out of the ceiling. It landed with a heavy thud, like steel slamming against stone. It was a terrible, and intimidating creature – towering over the daunted physicist. Standing nine feet, maybe ten.

Its entire body radiated with energy, as crimson streaks of electrical discharged arched out. Its eyes burned with the the semblance of a demon, reflecting a culmination of the deepest, darkest, maligned intent he'd ever seen. Anger, spite, malice, disgust, hatred – they all burned in its flickering, fiery eyes.

It moved its fingers back and forth, menacingly – exhibiting the three long, razor sharp blades on each hand. As he studied the creature, with an ice cold chill running down his back, he could hear a light tapping sound, as it tapped the blades it had for toes on the floor.

"W-W-What the hell are you?" Gordon beckoned nervously, as he crawled away on his back, using his hands and elbows. The creature simply followed, hovering over Gordon, toying with him as if enjoying the scent of fear.

Just then, Gordon noticed the metallic, green bindings adorning the mechanical monstrosity's ankles and wrists.

"Alra..." He uttered to himself, in horrified astonishment. "You miserable... fucking machine!"

Gordon scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could, and fortified his stance – bracing himself as best he could for whatever might come. He quickly reached over his shoulder, and drew his assault rifle, just as he remembered it was empty. Gordon gulped as he looked up into the eyes of the evil manifestation before him. The armor clad scientist looked utterly dwarfed by the towering, cybernetic being – like an ant squaring off against a scorpion.

"It is as you were told human..." The beast began in a somewhat familiar, yet chilling, baleful voice. "I am Requiem... I am the architect of your annihilation!"

* * *

"Joker, I don't want you taking any unnecessary risks up there, got it?" Shepard ordered into his radio, as his team collectively reached the sealed control center door.

Immediately, one of the vorts near the front ran up, and began interfacing with the small access panel beside it – using small jolts of electrical energy from his hand to make contact with the various crystalline protrusions.

"Just keep it off us for a few minutes, nothing fancy..." Shepard continued, looking around the destroyed settlement to spot some sign of Garrus and his team, as he anxiously waited for the door to open.

"Uh... sure! Whatever you say, Shepard." Joker's voice abruptly answered, apathetically brushing off The Commander's orders. "Can't really talk now though, got a Reaper on my ass. See ya!"

"Damn it, Joker..." Shepard scoffed under his breath, as he drew his hand away from his radio.

Just then, he heard a loud grinding noise, as he spotted Garrus' team in the distance, weaving in and around smoldering piles of debris, and mangled vorcha bodies, as they blitzed forward. The large metallic gate, with vortigese carvings, slowly began to slide open as Garrus, Legion, Thane, Jack, and the other vorts quickly approached their positions.

Suddenly, Shepard's kinetic barriers rippled, and rounds ricochet off the wall behind them, as the sound of gunfire unexpectedly tore through the air. Before even spotting the culprit, the entire team instinctively ducked down low, and drew their respective weapons of choice.

"On our left!" Grunt's deep, bellowing voice called out, as he cocked his shotgun and aimed.

Upon initial inspection, one might say they saw a flutter of starlight coming out of the corridor Shepard's team just came from. The type of scene a person could expect to find on a high traffic road, in the middle of the night – a stream of oncoming headlights in the darkness. Whatever they were, they were armed and firing.

"Go! Go!" Shepard urged, rushing the vortigaunts into the control room, under the half opened door, as his team stood in a semi-circle in front of it, creating a defensive line.

Grunt, Mordin, Samara, Jacob, Miranda, Tali, and Shepard all stood in a protective formation before the opening door, returning fire as round after round was deflected by their finite kinetic barriers – rapidly dwindling.

The vortigaunts rushed into the control center, and immediately began taking places at various stations. There were a multitude of alien looking control consoles inside, each built of the same, etched, metallic substance that was used to construct the door. But instead of buttons, nobs, or dials; the controls were a series of crystal-like elevations, nestled into the consoles. And instead of monitors, or computer screens, many of the terminals were equipped with large, translucent orbs – made up of some sort of glass, or other transparent material.

"Come on!" Garrus shouted, charging forward, with his rifle brandished firmly in his grip – with Jack, Thane, Legion, and the other vorts following at his heels.

They could make out Shepard, and the others in the distance, but not their attackers. Not from their vantage point, there was too much clutter in the way. The control room door never seemed so close, and yet so distant as Garrus dug down and blitz forward as fast as his fatigued legs could carry him.

"It's more of the damned vorcha!" Jacob shouted, as he lined up his rifle's sights, and took a shot – taking note of the course, vile outline of the creatures behind the glowing eyes. "And these look like the new and improved models..."

"These Reapers..." Shepard uttered with disdain, as he whipped his rifle back and forth, continuously pulling the trigger. "They always have an ace up their sleeve..."

A thunderous salvo echoed across the canyon enclosed area, as a furious torrent of gunfire was exchanged. Every target that managed to fall in their crosshairs, was like a lamp post being shot out. Their heads would jerk back violently, and the beacon in their eyes would diminish, before their lifeless bodies fell to the floor. But their aim was impeccable, and their movements, strategic. They moved in rows. Lines, like a military unit. Each that fell was bolstered by the one behind it, readily taking its position in the line. They weren't scrambled, astray, or unbalanced. Their bodies may have belonged to the vorcha, but their minds belonged solely to a Reaper.

These were not like the other vorcha, however. Not just because of the blaze in their eyes, but their resilience was unparallelled. A shot to the torso, the arm, or the leg seemed to have no visible effect. It seemed the only way to put these down was to drill them between their headlights. A shot to the head. That, or riddling their bodies so badly, that all that was left were tattered shreds of flesh...

Just then, Shepard's eyes locked onto something alarming. One of the vorcha suddenly drew a rather large weapon forward, resembling a missile, or grenade launcher, and saw it take aim in his direction.

At that moment, time suddenly seemed to slow to a crawl. Just as he was about to yell for his team to take cover, he noticed the vorcha suddenly turn, and aim in an opposite direction. Instinctively, Shepard turned his focus towards his enemy's target. That's when he noticed Garrus, Jack, Thane, and Legion emerge into the clearing, a few yards away from the control center door.

"Look out! Incoming!" Shepard shouted, just as the shrieking hiss of the launching projectile tore through the air. Garrus turned his head, seeing the smoking mass blazing towards them at incredible velocity. Perhaps only by sheer instinct, did he dive down to the ground, to a prone position, with cheetah like speed. Behind him, Jack turned towards the hurtling fireball, but her own fatigue prevented her from reacting fast enough.

"Siha!" Thane shouted out, as he swiftly dashed over to her, moments before impact. In the window of no more than a few hundred milliseconds, he shoved her to the ground, as he closed his eyes and rapidly mustered a biotic shield before him, just as the missile found its mark.

Boom! The ball of flame erupted against his shield, and the explosion slammed him back, hard, as he was only able to generate a partial barrier in the inadequate amount of time – mostly only protecting his head and upper body.

"ARGH! UGHH!" Thane grunted and groaned through clenched teeth, as he cringed on the floor, writhing around in agony as he reached for his leg.

"Thane!" Jack shouted out, quickly crawling over to him, as she watched him roll around agonizingly.

"Covering fire!" Shepard ordered, as he charged out onto the field, towards the others, without hesitation.

He ran in a hunkered down fashion, low to the ground, keeping his head bowed, as rounds continued to eat away at his shields.

By the time he reached them, Garrus was already back up to his feet, although he too was staying as low as possible.

"Cover me!" Shepard instructed Garrus, as he ran by him.

"Go!" Garrus replied, shouldering his sniper rifle, as he began picking off targets.

"Damn it, Thane! You idiot! Why did you do that?" Jack pleaded angrily, nearly in tears, as she knelt over the writhing drell, cradling his head with one hand. "I told you! You feel, you get sloppy!"

"Hehe... mmph!" He tried to express a lighthearted chuckle, though the pain prevented it. He panted heavily, clenching his eyes shut, as sweat poured from his forehead. "Couldn't help myself..."

Legion stood poised in front of the two, providing covering fire as his gleaming optic lens peered through the scope. The vortigaunts were standing beside him, releasing a maelstrom of torrential green energy, with which to strike down the bright eyed interlopers.

"Thane!" The Commander called out, as he suddenly slid to the floor, like a baseball player, on the drell's opposite side. "How bad is it?"

"Shepard..." He uttered in a pained, quivering voice, as he reached down. "It-It's my leg..."

Shepard looked down toward Thane's bloody, lower leg. Badly wounded, it was bleeding profusely, exhibiting a huge gash. Much of it was in shreds, leaving the bone and much of the anatomical structure clearly visible.

"Oh jeez..." Shepard uttered to himself, shaking his head when he saw it. As the thunderous barrage of gunfire continued behind them, the Commander quickly began scanning the area for something he could use.

"Jack, your vest!" He called out, when he noticed the thick straps running down both sides of her black leather vest, like suspenders.

"My vest?" She questioned, as she looked down and examined herself, in confusion. "What about it?"

"The straps!" Shepard urged, as he collapsed his assault rifle, and remounted it onto his back. "I need to stop the bleeding."

"Oh!" Jack exclaimed. She immediately yanked at the strap over her left shoulder, pulling it off with a tearing sound. She continued to tug and rip, all the way down, swiftly detaching it, before handing it to Shepard. He quickly took it, and carefully slid it halfway underneath Thane's leg.

"Ahhh!" Thane cried out in pain, as Shepard tightly tied off the makeshift tourniquet, just above his knee.

"Alright, don't worry..." Shepard assured, as he got to his feet, staying in a crouched position however. "We're gonna get you outta here. A little medi-gel'll fix ya right up."

"Jack." The Commander said, as he grabbed Thane's arm, and drew it over his shoulders. "We're gonna need some biotic cover to make it to that door."

"You got it!" Jack acknowledged with a nod. Her hands suddenly lit up with a cerulean flame, as she raised them over her head, generating a shimmering blue dome over the three.

Thane sat up, as Shepard continued to pull at his arm. Then lifting the drell's good leg, with his other arm, Shepard hoisted him up, draping Thane's body across the span of his shoulders, using a fireman's carry technique.

"Garrus, Legion. Cover the vorts!" Shepard ordered, in a somewhat labored voice, as he stood up straight, with Thane's torso lining the back of his head and shoulders. "Jack. Let's move."

"Acknowledged." Legion responded, as the group began to move as a unit. Legion and Garrus walked sideways, putting themselves between the aggressors and their team, with their eyes and their optics to their scopes.

Like a drop of mercury gliding across the floor, a glimmering blue dome swept across the battlefield, towards the open control center door. The biotic barrier encompassed Jack, Shepard, and Thane – rippling each time a stray round managed to hit it. Jack lugged forward hastily, her energy quickly draining as the generation of the barrier wore her down.

Most of the vortigaunts managed to find adequate shelter on the opposite side of the biotic bubble, as they all rushed forward, nearing the control room door.

"Uhh..." Jack exhaled an exhausted breath, as she collapsed on all fours, just outside the control room entrance.

The instant she did, Samara quickly supplemented Jack's fallen barrier, with one of her own - encasing Garrus, Legion, the vorts, the rest of the team, and the entire doorway temporarily.

"Get him inside!" Shepard grunted, as he bent down, lowering Thane off his shoulders, leaving crimson trails of blood running down his armor.

Legion and Garrus quickly rushed in to take hold of Thane. They carefully took hold of him, draping each of his arms across one of their shoulders – taking special care not to exacerbate his wound. The Commander wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, as Garrus took a brief look around the room.

"Freeman...?" The blue armored turian inquired solemnly, after not having spotted the physicist among the others.

The Commander bowed his head, and sighed as he placed his hands on his hips.

"...He's..." Shepard began reluctantly, searching for the right words, as he shook his head. "He's not coming..."

Garrus hung his head low, and gave it one firm, damning shake, before he and Legion quickly helped Thane in towards the interior of the control room, where the vortigaunts seemed to be working in a stupor – baffled and confounded at their machinery's lack of functionality.

"Mordin, see to him." Shepard ordered, as he turned to his salarian scientist, and motioned with his head, towards Thane.

"On it!" Mordin answered abruptly, as he quickly withdrew inside, and holstered his sub-machine gun.

"Hey salarian!" Jack's voice suddenly called out, causing Mordin to stop in his tracks. He turned to see Jack using the edge of the doorway to pull herself up, off the ground, and onto her feet.

"You make damn sure you take care of him..." She demanded, as she pulled the shotgun off her back, and clicked the safety off. "Got it?"

"Intend to." Mordin gave a firm, confident nod, before he turned and rushed towards the enfeebled drell, as Jack primed her assault rifle and joined the others.

"Alright, everyone get inside!" Shepard called out, backing away from the doorway, and waving his team in with his hand, as Samara's arms began to tremble. "Let's get this door closed!"

"Uhm... We can't..." Tali stated in a dubious voice, holding her shotgun readily, as she turned to face him.

"Why not?"

"While you were gone, the door's access panel took a stray round." She informed, shaking her head with a shrug of her shoulders. "I tried to see if there was anyway I could fix it, or force it shut, but the inner circuitry's fried..."

"Of course it is..." Shepard remarked under an exasperated sigh.

"When it rains, it pours..." He said, shaking his head in frustration, as he rolled his eyes and pulled his assault rifle off his back.

"Shepard!" A course voice called out to him, causing him to turn around, just as he was about to step out into the fray once more.

"The Shepard must regard!" A vortigaunt shouted in a panic, as he rushed up to the Commander. "We submit to a condition most dire! There is no life to our contrivance. That which drives it, yields no force!"

"You mean there's no power..." Shepard stated questioningly, trying to make sure he understood what the vort was saying. The worried vortigaunt nodded at him in response.

Shepard stopped, and looked around at the other diligently working vorts. They labored frantically, and confoundedly, at terminals that had no signs of visible power, or functionality, whatsoever. At least not yet.

"Give it time..." He reassured with an almost unquestionable level of certainty, as he looked back at the vortigaunt that had approached him. "It'll work, I know it will. Just keep trying."

The vort before him nodded reluctantly, as he turned to rush back into the control center interior, rejoining his brethren in their tasks.

"It'll work..." Shepard whispered to himself, as he nodded confidently. "I don't think Gordon Freeman knows how to fail..." He turned, primed his rifle, and walked back outside, into Samara's gleaming blue biotic shelter.

Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Miranda Lawson. Jacob Taylor. Commander John Shepard. Subject Zero. Urdnot Grunt... From left to right, they stood in a defensive line, in front of the garage door sized entryway, with the eminent Asari Justicar standing at the helm, doing her best to channel the rippling biotic dome, despite her dwindling strength.

"I'll... have to drop... it soon!" Samara exclaimed in a throaty, overexerted voice, as her hands trembled violently before her.

"Let it drop, Samara." Commander Shepard ordered with a bolstered tone, and an intrepid look in his eyes, as he turned a small selector switch on his assault rifle from "Standard" to "Incendiary", igniting a bright red indicator light. "We make our stand here..."

* * *

"UMPH!" Gordon groaned in pain, as he smashed, back first, through a multitude of thick, boulderesque, stalagmites, after getting tossed like a rag doll. His body careened against a rocky mound of flowstone in the dark, damp cavern - coming to rest, as a sharp pain jabbed at the small of his back.

"Ughh..." He clenched his teeth, and his eyes in pain, as he slid down to the ground, still leaned back against the stone. The impact had caused him to lose the grip he held on his empty, practically useless, assault rifle, which now simply rested idly on the ground, by his side.

His glasses were crooked on his face, and one of the lenses was divided by a pronounced crack running straight down the middle. A small trickle of blood, running from his lips, was being soaked up by his goatee. Three fairly deep lacerations, running across his cheek, painted the lower, left side of his face in a crimson mask. And his armor was scraped and slashed, with two of the breaches actually revealing the lightly scratched, bloody tissue underneath.

Gordon panted heavily with his eyes shut tightly, as his body was riddled with soreness. Just then, his instinct took over again, causing him to lift his head, and open his eyes. He scanned the area in a frenzy, painfully pivoting his head in all directions, as he searched for his attacker. Not spotting any noticeable threat in the immediate vicinity, he leaned forward, and began twisting himself over to try and stagger to his feet.

All of a sudden, a loud, metallic thud echoed throughout the cavern, as the metal monster dropped in, from out of nowhere, onto the flowstone mound behind Gordon – its wicked red eyes burning with an almost gleeful malevolence.

Gordon jumped in a fright, at the cybernetic being's sudden appearance, as he rapidly turned over onto his back – his mouth agape, and his eyes open wide with alarm. The creature leapt towards Gordon, planting its talon tipped feet firmly on either side of him, and raising a razor sharp hand over its head.

In a blur of motion, Gordon snatched up the assault rifle by his side, and held it up to block his face, just as the creature's claw came slashing down – causing it to slice through most of the heavy rifle with ease. As the pieces fell apart in Gordon's stunned hands, his assailant raised its razor claw over its head once again, and thrust it downward.

With an uncanny quickness, Gordon rolled out of the way, mere milliseconds before his body could be pierced, causing the cybernetic fiend to impale nothing more than the stone floor. Its clawed-hand dug deep into the terrain, a testament of the power behind the blow, just as Gordon scrambled away, and to his feet as fast as he possibly could.

Gordon turned back around to watch the robotic beast struggling to pull its own arm out of the ground. The look of fear in his eyes suddenly grew to one of angry determination, as his brow and his fists tightened. A familiar jade fire returned to his gaze, burning behind his cracked lenses. His right hand reached up, over his shoulder, and slid out his battered, begrimed, iron accomplice.

Even in this dim lighting, the silver tipped crowbar seamed to twinkle with an angry gleam, as if thirsting for carnage, as he cocked his arm backwards, and raised it over his head. Just then, he blitzed forward, towards the creature, with the most malicious of intentions on his mind.

As Gordon charged in, the second before he could bring his crowbar down, the metal monster looked up at him, its eyes blazing with a demon's fire. Without the least bit of difficulty, it raised its opposite arm, and careened it hard into the physicist's face with a brutal backhand.

The blow spun Gordon around, sending the crowbar flying out of his hands, and slamming him face first, down into a nearby, shallow pool of brown, murky water.

"Umph... Ugh..." Gordon groaned, and coughed in pain, as he pulled his face out of the muck. He gasped and heaved heavily, as he spit out a viscous globule of blood, saliva, and mud. Trying to catch his breath, he noticed his vision was somewhat blurred, as he felt something hanging off of his left ear. With shaky hands, he lifted his muddied glasses back onto his face, discovering their right temple was missing.

"My crowbar..." He then uttered to himself, in a pained, throaty voice, as his hands sifted through the water, fruitlessly.

"Hmhmhmhmhm..." Gordon heard a dark, sinister chuckle echo from behind him, mockingly He rolled over, to see the puppeteered cyborg standing behind him, glaring at him, with its hand still dug into the ground.

"Your contention amuses me, human..." It said, as it unexpectedly yanked its hand out, with considerable force, and relative ease, pulling a sizeable chunk of terrain out with it. "Does your neolithic mind actually perceive victory as a possibility?" It opened its razor hand up wide, instantly obliterating the rock into chunks of dust and debris.

"Maybe not..." Gordon replied in a jittery voice, gulping as he staggered to his feet once more – his entire body riddled with pain. "But I intend to try..."

"You are but insects beneath our feet. Bacterium waiting to be purged..." The creature continued, slowly advancing on Gordon - primed to attack at any given moment, as Gordon backed away at an equal rate, scanning the area through the corners of his eyes for his crowbar, or anything he could use to his advantage. "We are the eternal flame. Challenge us... and burn... For not even your ashes will remain to serve as a remnant of your inconsequential existence."

Just then, a silver gleam in the distance caught Gordon's eye. It was his crowbar. It laid resting peacefully on the far edge of the murky pool, on the dry stone floor just out of the water's reach, far to his right.

"An existence which has gone on long enough..."

Gordon suddenly turned and bolted towards his crowbar as fast as he could. His feet splashed against the murky water, as the beast lunged after him - its blade-bearing hands fanned out widely, hacking and slashing the air at the physicist's back...


	40. Chapter 40:Downfall Part III

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 40: Downfall (Part III)**

**Fight and Flight**

"EDI, squeeze a little more juice outta the engines, would ya!" Joker ordered, as he worked his controls feverishly. "Bastard's hangin' on like a varren in heat!"

"All four of the ship's anti-proton thrusters are already operating at maximum capacity, Mr. Moreau..." EDI's holographic visage flashed in response, besides the helmsman. "Any further acceleration would be impossible without engaging the FTL drive..."

"I knew you were gonna say somethin' like that..." Joker replied, as he jerked his body left and right, matching the torque he put on the controls.

The entire ship rocked turbulently, as it banked back and forth at high speeds, with the Reaper in close pursuit. Down in the bowels of the ship, engineers Donnelly and Daniels worked tirelessly to ensure the ship's propulsion systems would not falter – a daunting task, considering the amount of exertion placed on them. Throughout the various decks of the ship, members of the crew worked feverishly at their stations; taking readings, adjusting systems, checking alignments, and analyzing data crucial to the Normandy's optimal performance.

The black hulled behemoth behind them, seemed to match the Normandy's every twist, every turn – tracing its every loop, following its every curve.

The entire ship suddenly swung around to the left, like a pendulum, as a crimson beam of light shot out, lighting up the sky, and grazing the roof of the Normandy's armor plating.

"EDI! Give me something!" Joker shouted, as the entire ship quaked fiercely from the Reaper's lightest touch. The cockpit was bathed in the brilliant red light spilling in from the outside, as the beam swished by overhead.

"Kinetic barriers holding at eighty-three percent." EDI replied. "No breaches, or significant hull damage sustained..."

"Can we take a direct hit?" Joker beckoned, before biting down on his lower lip, and jerking back on his flight controls, drawing the ship's nose straight up into the air suddenly.

EDI was silent for a moment, perhaps as she assessed some of her computations, as Joker suddenly thrust his controls forward, immediately forcing the ship to now shoot downward, in a steep arch.

"I do not think we want to find out, Jeff..."

"Argh, this thing's starting to piss me off!" Joker griped, as he continued his frantic, fruitless attempts to outmaneuver the leviathan – his forehead now glistening with perspiration.

"Hmm..." He uttered to himself, as spotted something in the window. "Alright, tall, dark, and ugly... Let's see how good you really are!"

Joker drove his controls hard to starboard, navigating the ship towards a gravitating field of terrestrial debris, orbiting around the larger planetary mass of Xen. It was a stream of thousands of floating asteroids, meteors, and other craggy bodies, circumnavigating the planet. Entire floating islands, and isles, massive in size - serving as their own ecosystems of Xenian life, completely unaffected by what transpired elsewhere. Many of the smaller chunks orbited around the larger masses, like moons, attracted to their own, individual gravitational fields. Some of the larger bodies even had strange, towering, pillar-like protrusions growing out of them, resembling horns or bones of some sort.

"Our kinetic barriers are not designed to withstand..."

"To withstand blah blah blah with debris that size, Jeff... I know..." Joker retorted, finishing EDI's sentence off for her in a highly sarcastic, somewhat annoyed tone, as he rolled his eyes. "We've been through this before, EDI! We'll just have to hope our upgrades hold out..."

* * *

A crossfire blazed across the skies. A tempest clash of fire, and steel. It was virtually impossible to discern where one fleet ended, and another began. Thousands upon thousands of ships, in a vast array of descendant designs, swarmed the skies like riled bees, defending their hive against intruders. Human built frigates. Turian designed Cruisers. Asari constructed dreadnoughts. A Quarian engineered Flotilla. And an armada manned by geth, that under any other circumstances, would have been seen as a hostile force, now allies against a common foe.

The havoc of the heavens cast its shadow onto the Earth, as balls of fire fell from the sky each time a new vessel was claimed by the Reapers - their blades of light continuing to decimate man, machine, and metropoli, alike. But through it all. Through devastation and despair, as the sun began its twilight descent on the city of White Forest, only to rise over a new, Earthly horizon - the fleets of the galaxy stood united in their first and final stand against this most ruthless, relentless of enemies.

"Incoming transmission from Urdnot Wrex, of the Bloodspear!" The Orizaba's CO called out, as Admiral Hackett peered through the forward windows, watching the flagship dreadnought navigate the chaotic, aerial battlefield.

"Put it through." The Admiral replied calmly, as he turned towards the communication terminal.

In the usual fashion, a beam of light shot out from the middle, slowly materializing and taking the form of a haggard, war branded, male krogan.

His eyes were a scarlet red, matching the red, boney plating on his head. His armor was silver and black. It was covered in scrapes, scratches, dents, and pock marks – telltale signs that it was no stranger to battle. Despite being worn, it was not unkempt. Much of it still glinted and gleamed in the light, as it was worn with pride.

Perhaps more damaged than the armor, was the krogan himself. He had multiple scars, both on the red osteoderm plating sheltering his head, and on his course, reptilian face. The scars themselves were old, and healed; serving as reminders of ancient battles long since waged, but their marks remained.

"Admiral Hackett..." Wrex began in a deep, gravelly voice, not uncommon among the krogans. But this one resounded with a profound level of acumen and sagacity. "I'm Urdnot Wrex. War chief to clan Urdnot, and Battlemaster of the Tuchanka Krogan Clans. I understand the Alliance is having some pest control problems..."

"Indeed we are..." Hackett replied, exhibiting a somewhat cheerful disposition, despite his natural apprehensions. "And these are the most stubborn cockroaches we've ever dealt with... But uhm..."

Hackett stopped for a moment, looking Wrex over, as the krogan's name suddenly rang a bell. He brought a finger up, shaking it as he pointed at him, and squinted his eyes.

"Urdnot Wrex... Wrex..." He continued, as he scanned his thoughts. "Y... You ran with Commander Shepard's crew a few years ago, didn't you? During the battle of the Citadel... I take it he's the one that contacted you?"

"Yeah, I ran with Shepard..." The krogan affirmed, bringing his attention back to Hackett, after having momentarily turned it away. "But he wasn't the one who contacted me. We were contacted by some glowing eyed human, with a cloud of smoke around his head. I'm actually surprised I haven't heard from Shepard, especially considering his vendetta with the Reapers."

"That glowing eyed human again..." Hackett uttered to himself, as he gripped his chin between his thumb and index finger contemplatively.

"Where is he anyway?" Wrex questioned. "We're not scanning the Normandy anywhere, and I would've expected him to be the first on the front lines. Unless he's already..." A solemn tone overtook the krogan's voice.

"No." Hackett abruptly interjected, as he shook his head. "No, uhm... We actually haven't heard from Shepard since the Reapers opened the Citadel. He's the one that alerted us to the coming attack, but... Well frankly, I have no idea where he..."

"Admiral Hackett, sir!" The tensely excited voice of his Captain interrupted him, as she briskly walked over towards him, barely able to hold back a smile.

"Where he is..." He finished his sentence before turning to face Donaghy. At that moment, the Orizaba's crew began to stand up from their stations, looking out through the windows in shock and awe, as they erupted into cheers and applause.

"What is it, Captain? Did we manage to take another one down...?" He replied, less than enthusiastic.

"No sir..." She continued gleefully, as the grin overtook her face. "We think they're retreating!"

"Retreating?" Hackett exclaimed in disbelief, as he rapidly stepped around the krogan's projection and gazed towards the forward windows.

It was difficult to make out through the mayhem, but the news seemed to be true. Outside, massive silhouettes floated past the windows, seemingly ascending out of the atmosphere, towards the heavens.

"A few minutes ago, we picked up some strange radio interference across our entire communications network, worldwide..." Captain Donaghy continued, as the two stood looking out the windows, at the departing fleet of Reapers. "The quarians and the Citadel Fleet both confirmed picking it up as well. Shortly after, the enemy vessels started pulling out, into orbit. We think the interference was them communicating with each other to coordinate a retreat."

"A retreat...? Captain, these things have our entire global defense force practically at their mercy..." Hackett refuted apprehensively. "We've taken down... What was it. Five...?"

"Eight, sir." The Captain replied, her cheerful demeanor somewhat subdued by a stoic one, as she stood at attention and placed her hands behind her back. "Eight since the arrival of the geth..."

"Eight..." The Admiral nodded his head, and shrugged his shoulders in a cynical fashion. "Eight out of thirteen-thousand... And they're retreating...?"

"Perhaps they didn't anticipate losing ANY, sir..." Donaghy replied, somewhat reserved. "The Citadel Fleet, the quarians, the geth, and now the krogans... Maybe they didn't expect this kind of resistance."

Admiral Hackett was silent for a moment, as he appraised the situation. He turned his attention back and forth, from his cheering crew, to the bright face of his hopeful Captain, to the dark shadows outside the window.

"I know full well this isn't over yet, sir..." Donaghy continued. "It makes no sense for them to just up and leave, with no intention of returning. But perhaps they're leaving to regroup. Which would give us a chance to do the same thing. We could formulate a strategic defense plan. Maybe even evacuate people off world, to somewhere safer. Perhaps the Asari would be willing to shelter them on Thessia. It'd be the least they could do after we took in the refugees from the Citadel."

"I don't like it..." Wrex's gruff, creaky voice suddenly added, from his hologram - calling back both the Captain's and the Admiral's attention. "When you've got a foot across your enemies throat, you don't let him up just because he scratched your heel. They're up to something..."

"Uh... Admiral Hackett, sir!" Almost on cue, a jittery voice from a nervous crew mate called out, as the celebration abruptly began to die down. "You might wanna take a look at this..."

The Admiral sighed.

"I fear you might be right..." He replied to Wrex, smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, as a weary look came over his face.

"Keep me posted..." Wrex said, as his visage nodded at the human Admiral. "The Tuchanka Clans will be at your disposal. Wrex out."

Admiral Hackett nodded graciously at the old krogan. He then turned, and walked away with Captain Donaghy at his side as the projection dissipated.

"What is it, ensign? Report." Captain Donaghy ordered, as she and the Admiral approached the addressing crewman's station.

"Uh, it... Well it's strange ma'am..." The ensign replied in a baffled tone, as he studied his terminal.

"What's strange?" The Captain beckoned once more, in a firmer tone of voice."Out with it ensign. Report!"

"Well... They ARE leaving Earth's atmosphere, and going into orbit..." The crewman continued. "But... They're not... leaving. It looks like they're just clustering."

"Clustering...?" Hackett uttered out loud, as he and the Captain shared a brief, worried glance.

"Clustering where, ensign?" The Captain queried.

"Well, all over the world, ma'am..." The ensign answered, as he summoned a holographic representation of the globe, on his terminal. "Or rather, above it..."

"See... Here!" He continued, as he pointed out a red mass on his terminal. "There's an accumulation forming over the South Pacific. About twenty-eight hundred miles off the coast of Chile. And over here..." He waved his finger towards another red blot, over a different part of the world. "There's another mass forming about thirty-two hundred miles off the coast of Japan. North of the Marshall Islands."

"Looks like there's a third cluster starting to form..." Captain Donaghy pointed out, as she leaned in, studying the ensign's read-out with a narrow gaze. "Right in the middle of the Indian Ocean..."

She stood back up, with a puzzled, yet fearful expression on her face, as she turned to face the Admiral.

"They're positioning themselves over our oceans..." She said with a grimace, reflecting the same dreading look in his eyes. "What the hell are they up to...?"

Hackett turned and looked down at the holographic map, watching as red streaks moved across the globe, gathering into massive blots, as if the Earth itself was hemorrhaging. "God help us when we find out..."

* * *

Mordin ran his omni-tool over Thane's leg, taking a plethora of readings, as the drell laid on the floor, breathing through his teeth, with his hands on his temples. His wound was no longer bleeding, and the gash had been coated with a thick, white, translucent substance.

"Good. Bleeding has stopped. Wound is sealed. No obvious sign of contaminants..." Mordin assured cheerfully, as he withdrew his arm and dematerialized his omni-tool. "Should take a few minutes for medi-gel to successfully bond to your flesh. And will need to apply ultra-sonic casting later. But overall condition, satisfactory."

"Then I must return to my duty..." Thane said, as he reached for Mordin's shoulder, using it for leverage as he began trying to pull himself up.

"No no!" Mordin forbade, as he restrained Thane, with a hand against his chest. "Medi-gel hasn't finished bonding. Weight on the limb would rupture the wound further. Mustn't use at least until have had a chance to apply casting."

Thane breathed heavily, as he sat partially up, resting on his elbows. He listened to the furious salvo of gunfire coming from the door, as he shook his head, and laid back down with a sigh.

Around them, the vortigaunts continued to work diligently at their inert stations, communicating with each other in their own native tongues, with a heightened sense of alarm and confusion.

At the entry way Garrus and Legion had rejoined the melee. They stood together with Tali, and Shepard, fending off the glowing eyed vorcha, while Jacob, Miranda, Grunt, and Samara took shelter inside, on opposite sides of the door. Jack stood behind all of them, with her hands aglow, poised and waiting.

"My shields are drained!" Tali shouted out, as she quickly retracted into the room, after monitoring her kinetic barrier gauge, drop down below eleven percent.

"I'm up!" Jacob announced eagerly, as he quickly popped up, and stepped out to take her place.

There wasn't anything to provide suitable shelter, between the control room, and the possessed, advancing vorcha. No walls, no debris, no defensive masses of any kind. Just a clear charge over open ground. Because of this, Shepard's team was using a rotating switch off system. Four of them defended the doorway, since it wasn't much wider than the width of about four people, while the others waited inside. When one of their shields was drained to dangerously low levels, they'd switch and wait for their shields to recharge. But with the amount of fire they were taking, coupled with their own limited numbers, and dwindling ammo supply – this strategy could only hold out for so long.

"Heads up!" Shepard shouted out, as the defensive line quickly took a step back into the confines of the control room.

The instant they did so, Jack stepped forward, her hands still ablaze in gleaming, blue fire. She threw her hands out in front of her, generating a biotic wall, sealing the opening. A booming explosion rocked the room, as a ball of flame erupted on the other side of the barrier. Instinctively, the others shielded their heads and faces, as they ducked down.

"I'm spent!" Shepard called out, as he noticed his kinetic barrier meter reading at eight percent. "Who's up?"

"I am..." Grunt affirmed, with a bull-like snort from his nose, as he pumped his shotgun. He picked a spot, and lined up beside Jacob, Garrus, and Legion.

"Alright, I'm dropping it!" Jack declared, in a semi-fatigued voice, as her arms started to tremble.

The flame around her hands vanished, as they fell to her sides - concurrently causing the shimmering, blue barrier at the entry way to fade away, as the four stepped forward, and returned fire.

"Your turn, cheerleader..." Jack snickered, in a condescending tone, as she walked past Miranda, off to the right side of the entry way.

Miranda shook her head, and rolled her eyes, as she walked out – taking Jack's place behind the defensive line. Her hands lit up, as she stood patiently waiting, while Jack leaned against the wall, catching her breath, as she bent over with her hands resting against her thighs.

"The vortigaunts..." Tali motioned to Shepard, as the two of them stood leaning against the wall, on the opposite side of the door. She watched as the vorts worked feverishly at their consoles, yielding no activity whatsoever.

"They can't get the machine to work..." She continued, as Shepard joined her in observation. "It's been well over eight minutes. Do you think Dr. Freeman wasn't able to get it started...?"

A concerned look came over Shepard's expression, as he exhaled a deep breath, and shook his head.

"I don't know..." He replied. "He would've radioed us if it didn't work, or if something went wrong..."

"Maybe he's still trying..." Tali offered, shrugging her shoulders as she looked up at Shepard.

"Hmm..." He clenched his lips pensively, as he looked off to the side. Just then he raised his hand, and pressed two fingers against his ear.

"Shepard to Freeman. Do you read me?" He called out, as the thunderous fusillade of gunfire continued around them. He drew his hand away for a moment, waiting for a response, but none came.

"Dr. Freeman, come in. Do you read me?" He reiterated, as he pressed his fingers against his ear once more. But again, the only response he got was a teasing crackle of static.

He turned to Tali, with an even deeper look of foreboding in his eyes. "Why the hell doesn't he answer...?"

* * *

Gordon grunted and huffed, as he backpedaled frantically, with a metal monstrosity slashing away at him, with razor-sharp blades.

"Humph!" Clang... "Huah!" Cling... "Hrah!" Ping... Each time his crimson eyed pursuer raised its claws in an attempt to strike him down, Gordon did his best to deflect the strike with his crowbar, swinging it and batting away desperately. Hundreds of notches on his crowbar now exposed the gleaming, sparkling, iron beneath the tarnished surface.

As Gordon continued his desperate attempt at defensive swordsmanship, all the while retreating frantically, something suddenly took his legs out from under him. He toppled backwards, over a mangled corpse of one of the fallen husks. On instinct, Gordon turned his head away, gritting his teeth, and clenching his eyes, as he raised his crowbar over his face, protectively – expecting to be impaled any moment.

"Hmhmhmhmhm..." Gordon heard the same, dark, sinister laugh as before, causing him to open his eyes and look up. The mechanical menace simply stood, lording over him. Deviously fanning its hands out in a show of superiority.

Not wasting the chance, Gordon rapidly turned over onto his stomach, and scrambled forward, to his feet in a blur of motion. He swung himself around, not giving the creature his back for more than a second, and quickly backed away, panting heavily.

"Insects beneath our feet..." The monstrous voice reiterated insolently, as it watched Gordon squirm away.

"Alra!" Gordon called out in a pleading voice, as he gazed into the creature's demonic eyes. "Alra, please! If there's any part of you left in there, you have to fight it!"

His assailant stood silently, as if heeding the battered Doctor's words carefully.

"It's me, the Free Man, remember?" Gordon continued to entreat despairingly, as he patted his chest with one hand. "You have to fight it! These... These things! These are your oppressors. The beasts! Don't let them win. Fight it!"

With no marked, verbal response, the towering, mechanical, fiend suddenly began to channel a pulsating flare of red light, through its hand, arching out in all directions. Gordon's eyes opened wide in fear, as the creature suddenly raised its arm, and discharged a powerful jolt of crimson lightning, straight into the physicist's body. An attack similar to the ones used by the vortigaunts, only much more devastating.

"ARGH!" Gordon cried out in agony, as his head jerked painfully back, as far as it would go. His teeth nearly cracked under the pressure, as he gritted them tightly - clenching his eyes, as the surge seized up his muscles. When it ended, Gordon collapsed onto his knees – his crowbar clanging loudly as it hit the floor. With a glazed over look in his eyes, he fell forward, flat onto his stomach, with a loud thud. He coughed, and gasped for breaths in heaves, as his assailant simply stood by watching – deriving a demented pleasure from his torturous handiwork.

"Pathetic..." Gordon heard the creature sneer mockingly, as he laid panting on the floor - his eyes nearly rolled back into his head, as he clung to consciousness. "Do you yet doubt the one, inescapable truth, human?"

Gordon closed his eyes, as he felt them grow heavy, and weary. The light slowly seemed to fade to darkness. He could feel himself begin to peacefully drift away, as the breaths he drew grew shallower, and further apart.

"Dr. Freeman?" A voice shouting in his ear suddenly split his eyelids open once more. He batted his eyes around, as his breathing grew heavy again. "Dr. Freeman, are you there? Do you copy? Come on, Gordon. Respond!"

Gordon groaned as he slowly began to stir once more, the taste of blood prevalent in his mouth. Without placating Shepard's voice with a response, his armor plating scraped along the floor, as he moved his arms up, near his head. Although grateful for snapping him back from the brink of unconsciousness and beyond, he knew at that moment, that nothing he could say, could help him or his cause in any way.

"Little busy at the moment..." Was all Gordon could muster up, whispering it only to himself in a pained, throaty voice, as he planted his palms flat against the ground.

"Can you not see, human?" The beast demanded again, this time with a newfound anger in its voice, as it watched Gordon start to push himself off the ground once more. "There is no salvation from us! There can only be salvation through us!"

"If you're so damn powerful..." Gordon questioned, on all fours, as he reached for his crowbar with a shaky arm, and pulled it over to him. He planted one foot on the floor, using it to push himself off the ground, from his knee. "Why haven't you killed me yet? Why haven't you managed to kill Shepard?" He demanded, as he stood firm, his eyes piercing with a jade fire.

"Solely for the fact that I take great delight in your anguish..." The Reaper's manifestation replied arrogantly. "But even I am growing tired of watching you writhe!"

Gordon raised his crowbar defiantly, preparing to defend himself, as the abomination charged him once more...

* * *

Twin beams of cerulean hellfire shot out from the Normandy's powerful Thanix cannons, obliterating a pair of meteoroids in the ship's path, as it blew through the ensuing debris.

Joker's eyes stared straight ahead, as he bit down on his lower lip – his concentration unflinching. His hands glided sensually over the controls, using a masterful touch. From the slightest motion, to the most abrupt turn, his every maneuver was reflected perfectly by the Normandy – a perfect synergy between man and machine.

The ship weaved through the terrestrial debris; swooping below meteoroids, gliding across islands, twisting around pillars. Meanwhile the Reaper simply seemed to plow through it all.

Just then, Joker jerked his controls to the left, as a blinding streak of red light shot forth, from behind them. The missed shot sliced through one of the towering protrusions, on a nearby floating isle, cutting it in half like a twig.

"Low bridge!" Joker shouted, as the pillar began to topple directly in their path. "Over or under, EDI?"

"I would strongly advise that you not..."

The ship's entire nose dove down, suddenly, abruptly silencing EDI, just as she began to formulate a response. The Normandy raced the falling pillar, as the ship swooped down at dangerously fast speeds. Moments before impact, the ship swept by, beneath the column, scorching the isle floor with it's back burners, and pulled straight up into the air, just as the pillar crashed into an eruption of dust and smoke.

"Yeeeeeeeeeaaahhhh!" Joker exclaimed jubilantly, as shook a firm finger at his radar. "Choke on that you bastard!"

"I would have suggested over, Mr. Moreau..."

"Heh, well I probably wouldn't of listened..." Joker replied, as he once again took firm control of his instruments. Just then, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. In the distance to his right, two giant meteoroids, easily doubling the Normandy itself in mass, seemed to be on a direct collision course with one another.

Joker leaned into the curve, as he unexpectedly tugged on his controls, turning the ship to the starboard side – putting the Normandy on a path directly intersecting the estimated meeting point of the two enormous rocks.

"Mr. Moreau, I highly recommend that you deviate from this flight path..." EDI urged, as the Normandy blasted forward, with the two colossal boulders closing in from above and below, like giant jaws. "The ship would almost certainly be destroyed, should impact occur..."

"Come on, baby. Come on. Come on. Come on." Joker uttered rapidly to himself, completely oblivious to EDI's warnings. He pushed the throttle ahead full, as the gap between the two rocks drew slimmer and slimmer. The ship's engines blazed, bathing the pursuing Reaper, in a gleaming, blue luminance, as it aimed a sinister tentacle forward.

"Come on. Come on, baby. Come on! Come on! COME ON!" Joker continued, faster and faster, growing more and more anxious, and opening his eyes wider and wider with each utterance. As the jaws came down, the Normandy suddenly blitzed through the collapsing gap. Sparks flew, as its vertical stabilizer scraped just along the base of the massive meteoroid above, moments before the two slammed against each other.

"Hoooooo!" Joker howled in jubilation, and relief, as he cleared the narrow opening. "I knew you could do it, baby! Daddy never doubted y..."

Joker's celebration was abruptly interrupted by a sudden thundering, as the onyx giant plowed through the two meteoroids, instantly turning them into floating piles of rubble, as a red beacon pulsated at the tip of one of its tentacles.

"That son of a bitch is cheating!" Joker shouted irately, as he studied the radar.

"Shit!" He abruptly exclaimed, as he quickly threw his hands back on the controls, and pulled up. The entire ship suddenly quaked ferociously, as the Reaper struck a major section of the Normandy's fuselage with a powerful, glancing blow.

"EDI! Damage report!" Joker shouted, as he desperately attempted to restabilize the Normandy, after being sent into a violent fishtail.

"Minor hull breach on the Captain's deck, and adjoining compartments." EDI reported, as the ship slowly began to straighten out. "Corresponding sections have been sealed. Kinetic barriers holding at forty-eight percent. No other significant damage detected."

"Oh well, sucks for Shepard..." Joker remarked apathetically, as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Damn it, this is getting us nowhere, fast!" He griped frustratedly. "I can't out maneuver the bastard, and it's only a matter of time before it takes us down..."

"EDI..." He continued, still working his controls, as his pupils glanced over at her holographic visage. "I'm gonna try something... A little stunt I heard about back in flight school. If it works, I should be able to get some distance between us. And maybe even do a little damage in the process. But for it to work, I need you to do exactly what I say, exactly when I say it..."

"I trust you've successfully executed this maneuver before?" EDI questioned, with a bit of doubt in her synthesized voice.

"W...ell, no... I've heard about it..." Joker hesitated to reply, with a bit of nervous optimism.

"Heard about it executed successfully?"

"Well actually, the guys that tried it ended up..." Joker began casually, before abruptly stopping, and shaking his head with an angry sigh.

"Look EDI, you'll just have to trust me! Alright?" He snapped, as he turned to glare at. "Now when I tell you that I want all power to the weapons, I mean ALL power. Shields, lighting, auxiliary life support, everything but the engines, and critical systems..."

"I cannot recommend this, Jeff." EDI objected. "Diverting all power from the shields would..."

"Whoa!" Joker suddenly yanked at his controls, rolling the Normandy to the left, as a beam of light sliced across the windows, right below the ship's undercarriage.

"Damn it, EDI!" He exclaimed angrily, watching his controls carefully, to remain evasive. "I just said you'll have to trust me!"

"Very well, Jeff..." EDI replied in a placid tone. "I will follow your orders, as per your instructions... I trust you."

"Thanks..." Joker abated, as he continued to navigate the Normandy through the endless stream of terrestrial rubble. "First, I gotta get outta this mess. I need a clear stretch of sky to spread her wings..."

He eased forward on the controls, driving the Normandy to slowly sink below the floating debris, and descend closer to the main, planetary surface once more.

"That's it, just follow the leader you ugly mother..." Joker uttered with contempt, as he watched the Reaper follow along closely, via his radar.

Joker maneuvered the ship around a few rocky peaks, and crags – eventually finding a long flat stretch; high above a wide, chasm-like gorge, that stretched far off into the horizon, like a long, straight fault line.

"Alright, EDI. Here we go..." He confirmed with a gulp, as readjusted himself in his seat, and torqued his neck around a bit. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be, Mr. Moreau..." EDI answered, exhibiting a bit of machine-like confidence.

"Okay..." Joker nodded at her, as he took a deep breath. "Stop the port side engines!"

Power to the twin engines, on the left hand side of the Normandy, was suddenly cut off, leaving only the starboard engines still working at full capacity, and forcing the ship to slowly veer to the left unsteadily.

"Port side engines full reverse!"

The same two anti-proton engines suddenly lit up again, shifting in exhaust direction. Instead of a slow, unsteady veer, the Normandy quickly began a rapid, one hundred and eighty degree spin.

"Full reverse all engines!" Joker shouted out a split second later.

The Normandy's starboard engines flickered for a microsecond, before being reengaged in full reverse, causing the entire ship to suddenly stop mid-spin. The entire ship trembled turbulently, as Joker stared into the Reaper's eye. He now piloted the Normandy face to face, or rather nose to nose, with the metallic titan, flying completely in reverse.

"We cannot maintain inverse propulsion, at these speeds, for long, Jeff..." EDI informed, as the ship continued to quake violently.

"I know! I know!" Joker affirmed apprehensively, as a bright, red light began to flare up outside, bathing the cockpit in a scarlet glow. "Just a few... more... seconds..."

Just then, Joker jerked hard to his right, as he yanked his controls in the same direction, nearly forcing the Normandy to swing into a frenzied, backwards, barrel roll, as the Reaper discharged its weapon. The beam sliced in a downward motion, as the Normandy just barely slid around it – rolling out of the way like the pendulum on a metronome.

"Now EDI!" Joker ordered, trying to steady the ship out, once he made sure they had cleared the laser. "All power to the forward weapons!"

A light blue wave of energy washed over the Normandy's outer hull, and quickly faded away. The lights in the cockpit, throughout the command deck, and across the entire ship suddenly went dark. Virtually every terminal on board, save for Joker's, shut down, leaving the orange glow, and the blue radiance of Joker's control console, and EDI's hologram, the only real, visible, light left on board.

"Suck on this, you bastard!" Joker shouted angrily, as he slammed his closed fist down onto his controls.

The barrels of the Normandy's twin thanix cannons immediately lit up, and erupted with a blinding ball, of boundless, raw energy. Their discharge rocked the entire ship, and the immense flash of light poured in through the windows, as the projectiles found their mark. The fore of the Reaper was suddenly engulfed in a torrential maelstrom of blue hellfire.

"All thrusters ahead full!" Joker shouted out, as a red, pulsating light began to shine through, from within the blue flame.

The Normandy's quadruple anti-proton engines suddenly shifted exhaust direction, propelling the Normandy forward with an incredible burst of speed. The sudden shift in inertia jerked Joker back in his seat, and likely knocked any poor crew member, foolish enough to be standing, off their feet. Joker leaned forward, and pushed up against his controls, tilting the Normandy's nose down, quickly maneuvering it beneath the Reaper.

"Divert power back to the shields!"

No sooner had a ripple of energy washed over the Normandy's hull, than a devastating beam of light sliced down on it, scorching across the rear of its fuselage, and clipping its starboard engines and stabilizers.

The Normandy plunged into a spiraling tailspin, as Joker wrestled with his terminal to regain control.

"EDI, how bad is it?" He beckoned, mustering up every bit of strength he could to yank back on his controls, firmly.

"Kinetic barriers depleted..." EDI informed, while the ship rocked back and forth turbulently, as Joker fought the downward spiral. "Hull breach on the command deck in sections four and six. Mass effect field generators offline. Engines three and four unresponsive."

"Switch power to the stabilizers to compensate!" He ordered, as the bobbing and weaving chasm, along the horizon in the window, drew closer and closer.

The ship's spin gradually declined into a fish tail, as Joker continued to tussle with his controls, but it was still descending at deadly speeds.

"We're coming in too hot!" He said through his teeth, as tried fruitlessly to pull up.

The light spilling in through the windows suddenly faded, as the Normandy sank into the cavernous rift. Joker vied for control, doing his best to avoid collision with the walls, as the ship continued to weave back and forth. The ground inside the darkness mired pit became visible, as the Normandy tussled around, like a leaf at the mercy of the wind. Just then, the ship's landing struts extended from the hull, as it seesawed a few feet off the chasm bottom. And they were snapped like twigs the instant the Normandy careened into the jagged, rocky, ground, nose first.

"UMPH!" Joker groaned painfully, as the powerful impact slammed him forward, out of his seat, and against his terminal. The entire ship trembled and quaked violently, as it scraped along, on a blazing bed of sparks. The entire right wing snapped off like plastic - engines, rudders, stabilizers and all, as the ship continued to drag along on its belly, before finally grinding to a smoking stop.

An alarm wailed, and red emergency lights came on, illuminating the Normandy's interior, as the bellowing sound of steel creaking, and bending could be heard. Just then, a malevolent figure cast its egregious shadow down into the pit. Smoke poured out, and orange flames shimmered from within, like a candle flickering in a dark room. Its work being done, the devil eyed Reaper abruptly proceeded away; departing to finish dealing with another little nuisance...

"Mr. Moreau, are you alright?" EDI's hologram questioned, a clear sense of concern exhibited in her robotic voice. "Mr. Moreau?"

Red emergency lights, throughout the ship, flashed on and off. Joker laid motionless on the floor, beneath his seat, and control terminal – his chest expanding and contracting imperceptibly. His hat had been knocked off his head, and had slid away near the airlock door. One of his arms laid flat, palm up, at his side, while his other was drawn over his chest. And his right leg was bent behind his left, in the shape of a figure four, as he laid peacefully.

"...Jeff...?"

* * *

"We're counting eight clusters in orbit so far, sir..." Captain Donaghy stated, as she pointed at a large, holographic globe, riddled with infectious, red blotches. She stood along side Admiral Hackett, and a few key members of the crew, studying the globe in the Combat Information Center, at the rear of the bridge.

"There's one forming over the North Atlantic, between Portugal and the States." She began, pointing the area out, as the map zoomed in and placed a glowing, yellow marker on the corresponding congregation of Reapers.

"One over the South Atlantic, between Uruguay and South Africa." She continued, as the map proceeded to place the appropriate marker. "Another over the South Pacific, approximately twenty-nine hundred miles West of the Chilean coastline... One over the North Pacific, between Japan and the Marshall Islands. One eighteen-hundred miles due South of the South African coastline. Let's see... There's one above the Indian Ocean, twenty-four hundred miles South of Maldives. And lastly, two above the Arctic Ocean. One of them in the Nordic Region, between Greenland, Norway, and Iceland. And the other, North of Russia – just above the Siberian Island Archipelago."

Hackett exhaled an exasperated breath, through pursed lips as he stood starring at the map. "One over every major body of water..." He said to himself, as he studied their positioning.

"What in god's name are they up to...?" He questioned, somewhat rhetorically, as he furrowed his brow.

"Can't really say yet, sir..." Donaghy responded, as she joined him in studying the representation. "We know its a strategic positioning, with a very specific purpose. Each cluster contains anywhere from fifteen to eighteen-hundred vessels. And it's only a matter of minutes before they finish congregating."

There was an eerie silence among them, as they contemplated a plethora of possibilities. And for the Admiral, not a single one of those possibilities was optimistic.

"Perhaps they're preparing to start siphoning off our oceans, somehow?" She submitted, as she turned to look at the Admiral, who quickly returned her gaze. "Begin harvesting our resources...?" She said questioningly, as she shrugged her shoulders.

"But why now...?" Hackett asked in bewilderment. "Why not do that from the start...? Or wait until they've finished us off?"

"Whatever they're doing, it doesn't matter." He affirmed, waving a hand in front of him, as he turned to walk back towards the center of the bridge, with the Captain following at his side. "Order all fleets, all squadrons into orbit, to reengage."

"Sir, what if that's what they want?" The Captain questioned, with a fair amount of doubt and concern in her voice. "What if they're trying to draw us out, into orbit...?"

The Admiral stopped, breathing a sigh as he looked around pensively. "Then we'd be no worse off..." He eventually replied. "We were fighting a losing battle as is, and we can't afford to waste this opportunity, while they've ceased their attack. Send out the order..."

"Aye-aye sir." Captain Donaghy affirmed pointedly, as she stood at attention, and saluted her superior.

She turned around and quickly rushed off, towards the ship's communications officer.

"Admiral Hackett, sir!" Barnes shouted out anxiously, somewhat startling the Captain, just as she approached him.

"Oh... uh... Captain Donaghy, ma'am..." The young CO stuttered nervously, when he was unexpectedly greeted by her, as he slid his earpiece down around his neck.

"What is it crewman?" Donaghy demanded, when she saw the concern in his eyes. "What's the problem?"

Instead of taking his position at the center of the bridge, as he had intended, Hackett was coaxed over to the Captain and the officer, after having heard his name called out with such urgency.

"Uhm... We're picking up that strange radio interference again, ma'am..." Barnes replied, looking up at her as the Admiral approached. "A lot of it. They're definitely communicating with each other."

"Show me." Hackett ordered in a calm, yet firm voice.

Barnes opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead just sealed his lips, nodded his head, and turned back around to face his station. He worked his terminal for a moment, before a sudden, blaring noise shot out.

It was almost like a series of animalistic roars. Like a monstrous growling, or snarling, but with something different. There was a mechanical essence to this. It reverberated with a metallic and synthesized oscillation. The clamor resonated with the makings of a machine language, not all that dissimilar from geth's, and yet... monumentally different.

The nearby crew members all grew silent, as the chilling sound echoed throughout the bridge. Captain Donaghy felt as though the blood in her veins froze over, as a teeth rattling chill washed over her body. Hackett stood with his demeanor intact, however unable to help at swallowing a pronounced gulp, as he listened to the horrifying symphony of monsters.

"Can we tell what they're saying?" The Admiral inquired, as an icy bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. "Can the computer decipher it?"

"No, sir..." Barnes stated adamantly, shaking his head slowly, with a look of dread in his eyes. "Not this... This isn't like anything we've ever seen, or heard before..."

"Sir...!" The ship's nearby ensign shouted out, in a distressed voice, quickly grabbing Donaghy and Hackett's collective attention. "Their weapons are coming back online...!"

Taking a deep breath and not exhaling, Hackett quickly turned and took a few steps towards the ensign's station, near the center of the bridge. "I knew it..." He whispered to himself.

"Are they moving back into attack range?" He queried, releasing the breath he was holding in, as he came to stand beside the ensign.

"No, sir..." The officer replied, with a bewildered, yet frightened expression on his face. "They're not moving... And they're not aiming at our ships..."

"What...?" Hackett questioned, perplexed. "Well then just what the hell are they aiming at?"

"Straight down, sir..." The ensign replied, in a somewhat gasping voice, as if he spoke while out of breath. "Towards our oceans..."

"God no..." The Admiral said in a hushed voice, as a clenching fear settled into the pit of his stomach. Immediately, his eyes opened wide, and his jaw hung open at the news. The same icy chill that had gripped Captain Donaghy moments ago now settled into his veins, as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and his arms swelled with goosebumps beneath his uniform.

"They seem to be charging their weapons for a powerful discharge..." The ensign continued, as Captain Donaghy came to stand beside the Admiral - sharing in his trepidation, as she took special care to heed the ensign's every word.

"Judging by the readings we've taken on their weaponry, the output capability is... tremendous..." The ensign furrowed his brow in stunned disbelief, as he examined his data. "At full power, these things are probably capable of discharging energy equivalent to anywhere from a fifty to a hundred megaton blast, EACH."

"My god..." Captain Donaghy uttered in shock, as a horrified look came over her. "If they all shoot at once... They'll generate a tidal wave that'll take out every coastal city on the planet..."

"No..." Hackett abruptly refuted, shaking his bowed head with a grimace, as Donaghy brought her gaze up towards him. "No Captain... A simultaneous discharge of that much raw energy... would submerge every land mass on Earth... There'll be nothing left..."

"How long until they fire?" Hackett demanded, raising his head back up, as the fear in his voice was somewhat masked by the stern presence of purpose.

"Hard to say, sir..." The ensign replied, frantically working his station. "Based on the data we've collected, if they wait to fire their weapons at topmost capacity..." He continued, working out some quick, fevered, calculations. "They'll likely reach critical charge within twelve minutes... fifteen at the most... And again, that's IF they wait for critical charge..."

"Send out an emergency evacuation order!" Hackett shouted in an outburst, not addressing anyone in particular, as he looked around at his crew. "Get everyone off the planet immediately!"

"Aye sir!" An obscure voice, on the bridge, called out, as the order was prepared to be executed.

"I want all squadrons into orbit, reengaging hostile forces on the double!" The Admiral continued to demand decisively. "Radio the Citadel Fleet, the quarians, the krogans, even the god damned geth! Get them out there hitting those bastards with everything they've got! Move people! We can't let this happen!"

"Aye-aye, sir!" CO Barnes affirmed stolidly, as the hum of the dreadnought's powerful engines kicked in below their feet. There was a sudden shift, as the Orizaba began making its way out of the atmosphere – the type of sensation a person gets when a fast moving elevator suddenly moves out of a stationary position.

"Sir, how many people can we possibly hope to get off-world in less than fifteen minutes...?" Captain Donaghy beseeched, in a quivering voice, reflecting a blend of sorrow, fear, and despair.

The Admiral quickly turned to face her, and the two locked eyes for a moment, before his eyes sank, looking away slightly, as he searched for an answer to appease her. "We save who we can, Captain..."

He released a long, drawn-out sigh, as he brought his right hand up, and rubbed his face in a downward swipe. He opened his eyes, noticing his entire crew around him working in a panicked frenzy. A sight reflected throughout every deck, on every ship, of every fleet, as they ascended into orbit, to launch a desperate, last stitch, campaign at thwarting the demon-eyed titans, and impeding the coming apocalypse.

In the midst of the calamity, Hackett stopped, and crossed one arm, while draping his hand over his eyes, and shaking his head.

"You were right, Erin..." He said in a soft tone, as he shook his head, while clutching his face. "How did I not see it? You were right... you were right... you were right all along...!" His reiteration and despair garnered Donaghy's full attention, as she looked at him with a deep concern.

"Sir...?"

He drew his hands away from his eyes, as he looked at her, blinking rapidly.

"You said, you thought they were retreating because they didn't anticipate this kind of resistance from us..." Hackett continued. "You were right... They didn't anticipate this kind of resistance... So they want to end this quickly..."

The Captain furrowed her brow as she listened to the Admiral explain, slowly coming to the same, terrifying, epiphany.

"With Earth wiped out, there'll be nothing left here for us to defend..." His explanation continued, as a chill ran down his spine. "Then WE'LL be the ones forced to retreat. We'll be scattered... off balance... They'll divide us... Hunt us down... And eliminate us... species by species..."


	41. Chapter 41: Downfall Part IV

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 41: Downfall (Part IV)**

**Critical Charge**

"Ugggghh..." A gravelly, pained, groan came from off the floor.

"Jeff, are you alright...?" EDI questioned worriedly, as Joker slowly began to stir.

"Argh... Define alright..." He said with the usual sarcasm, aside from being riddled with pain, as he slowly began to try and sit up.

"AHHH! UHHH!" He cried out agonizingly, as he cringed and immediately laid back down, putting his hands on the sides of his neck. "Ugh... my neck... I th... I think my collar bone's broken..."

"Lie still, Jeff..." EDI instructed, sympathetically. "I've notified some of the other crew members, but the elevator is offline. It may take some time for them to get here."

"Ugh... uhhh..." Joker groaned painfully through his teeth, as he laid holding his own neck firmly between his hands. "I... I can still feel my legs and wiggle my toes..." He uttered with a bit of marked relief, as his foot bobbed up and down. "But I can't get up..."

"The Reaper...!" He abruptly exclaimed in his coarse voice, looking up at the shimmering, metallic ceiling, painted in EDI's blue glow. "What happened to the Reaper?"

"It proceeded back toward the East." EDI informed.

"Back to Shepard and the others..." Joker added, still clenching his eyes shut. "mmph... Radio Shepard... Let 'em kn... Let 'em know it's coming back at them..."

* * *

Shepard, Jacob, Mordin, and Miranda stood on the front line, as the glowing eyed puppets continued to advance on them, now less than a football field's distance away.

"You're attacks are primitive..." A chilling voice resonated from among the attacking wave, as they continued to fall – the lights in their eyes forever dimmed. "I will show you true power..."

"Jeez, do these things ever shut up?" Jacob inquired angrily, the recoil of his assault rifle beating against his shoulder, as he traced the golden flares with lined up sights.

Jacob and Shepard stood beside one another, at the center of the line, with Mordin and Miranda on the outer edge. Miranda on the far right, and Mordin, left. They whipped their weapons back and forth in an almost rhythmic pattern, constantly selecting new targets. Miranda was the only one who stood unarmed, her hands ablaze in blue, as she utilized her biotic prowess.

Throwing her hands out in front of her to select a dangerous looking piece of stone, or debris – she'd engulf it in the same cerulean flame, and hurl it over, with apparent ease, at the encroaching aggressors. Like a bulldozer through a picket fence, her projectiles would crash against the oncoming wave, crushing those beneath it, and leveling those around it – doing very little to deter the incessant onslaught, however.

"Commander Shepard, come in." EDI's voice echoed in Shepard's ear, over the fusillade of gunfire. He twisted his eyes up for a second as the sound came in, before he picked out one final target, and pulled back on the trigger.

"Alternate!" He ordered, as he pointed his rifle upward, in an idle position, and backed away into the room.

"My shields aren't back up yet..." Grunt declared, as he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"Ditto..." Garrus added, with a shrug and shake of his own.

"Legion?" Shepard questioned, as he turned to face the amicable geth.

"Restoration to kinetic barriers incomplete..." His metallic voice quickly replied, causing Shepard to sigh heavily.

"I'll go." Tali affirmed, with a bit of a scoff, as she pumped her shotgun, and stepped forward from against the wall. "My shields are charged enough."

Shepard nodded at her, with a mild look of concern in his eyes as if to say "Be careful."

He turned and took a few steps further into the control room, holding his rifle up with his left arm, as he pressed his right hand to the side of his ear. "I read you EDI. What's your status?"

"We were shot down far East of your current location." EDI reported, causing Shepard to clench his teeth as he listened. "There have been no casualties on-board, however Mr. Moreau is badly injured, and the Normandy was severely damaged in the crash."

Shepard sighed, as he looked down towards the ground. "And the Reaper?"

"My sensors last detected it bearing on your position..."

The information sent a chill down Shepard's spine, as an uneasy feeling settled into his gut.

"Alright, EDI." He replied in a hushed tone, nodding his head with a contemplative look in his eyes. "Thanks for the warning. Shepard out."

Shepard slowly moved his hand away from his ear, and lowered it down to his side, as a deluge of thoughts rampaged through his head. Thoughts about the approaching Reaper. About his team's dwindling ammo supply. About the war being waged, on the other side of the galaxy. About this inert machine that all their hopes foolishly rested on. And about the mysterious loss of radio contact with Gordon.

"Augh!" Jacob's voice suddenly cried out in pain, snapping Shepard back into the moment. He turned to look over, just as Jacob slammed, back first, to the ground.

"Jacob!" Miranda yelled out worriedly, as she turned to look down at her fellow, fallen operative.

"I'm alright, it's just a scratch..." He assured with a forced optimism, twitching on the floor as he covered the gaping hole in his shoulder with his hand.

Shepard hurried over, as Garrus and Grunt dragged the Cerberus Operative inside, leaving a smeared, crimson trail on the floor. Jacob clutched at his shoulder, groaning through his teeth, and clenching his eyes tightly, as blood poured out from between his fingers.

"Jacob... You okay?"

"Sorry, Commander..." Jacob uttered in anguish, as he looked up at Shepard. "Got careless... wasn't watching my shields..."

"Mordin!" Shepard yelled out, as he ejected the empty thermal clip casing from his assault rifle, and slammed in a fresh one with authority.

Mordin turned around, and reluctantly pulled himself off the front line, to tend to Jacob. He rushed back inside, past Shepard, who stepped forward to take the salarian's place, in turn. His eyes gleamed with an incensed determination - reflecting rage, resolve, and contempt, as he clutched his assault rifle tightly.

To their surprise, Shepard walked out, past Tali, Miranda, as well as Samara, who had taken Jacob's place when he went down. He walked past them, past the door, out a few feet into the clearing, as his shields rippled from the sudden influx of rounds ricocheting off him. Aside from a sharp cramp that started forming in his leg, the battery didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for his dwindling shields.

He turned and looked out toward the accumulated flood of lights coming at them, as he shouldered his rifle, and took careful aim. Selecting a satisfactory target, at the center base of the largest cluster he could see, he pulled the secondary trigger on his assault rifle, launching a large, rocket propelled projectile.

His concussive shot struck the ground, at the feet of several possessed vorcha, immediately exploding into a powerful, ravaging, shockwave, which knocked multiple bodies back hard - an impact that Shepard could feel from where he stood. The burst kicked up a thick cloud of smoke, leaving a small crater, and a large scorch mark on the ground. Just then, Shepard shook his head in exasperation, as he watched a few of the bodies begin to stir. Their gleaming, golden eyes cutting through the dense smoke, as they continued their advance, undeterred.

"Damn it, Gordon. What the hell's going on down there...?"

* * *

Gordon panted very heavily, and very rapidly, as he jerked his head back and forth, frantically looking in all directions, as his eyes scanned for his mechanical assailant. His eyes were opened wide, reflecting a look of dread beneath his exhaustion. But dread or not, he clutched his crowbar tightly, brandishing it in his right arm, as he held it cocked back, ready to strike. His glasses barely hung off of his face; clinging on by his ear, and the bridge of his nose. A nose possibly broken, as blood from his right nostril pooled in his mustache - much of his face soaked in either sweat or blood, or both.

"Huh?" He breathed a gasp, swinging his body around, as he suddenly heard the distinctive sound of steel tapping against stone. He continued to look around, desperately searching the area, but finding nothing, as he listened for the slightest discrepancies. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear a repetitive drip of water, and he listened to his every breath echo in the cavernous room. But the acoustics of the chamber made it nearly impossible to pinpoint the source of any sound, as the echoes were bounced around tauntingly.

He never noticed the crimson eyed creature, crawling on the rocky ceiling above him, like a lizard on the wall. Just then, as Gordon's eyes continued to scan the darkness, the monster suddenly dropped down, utilizing cat-like athletics to land on its feet, with a thundering pound, a few inches behind Gordon.

Gordon turned with a jerk, his crowbar primed and ready, as he came face to face with the towering, hellish eyed, monstrosity. Not wasting a moment of deliberation, Gordon lunged forward, bringing his crowbar down hard, with every ounce of strength he could muster, from his fatigued body.

Clang! The sound of steel on steel echoed throughout the chamber, as the colossus deflected Gordon's meager blow, with its arm, effortlessly. Undeterred, Gordon raised his weapon over his head once more, and drove it down hard. Clang! Again, the crowbar simply bounced casually off his enemy's arm.

Gordon took a few cautious steps back, panting heavily, as he forced the dread in his eyes to slowly flourish into a seething rage. His breathing began to quicken, getting faster and faster, as the fury inside him grew deeper and deeper.

With an infuriated sneer on his face, his raised his crowbar high over his head, and charged forward.

"Rrrrrraaahh!" Gordon bellowed, plunging his crowbar down. As he did so, the mechanical menace simply reached out and grabbed at the red and silver piece of iron, with a vice-like grip. Just then, it stopped dead, as if getting lodged in stone. Gordon looked up to see the creature casually clutching his crowbar, firmly within his pincer hand. He tugged at it firmly, trying his best to pull it out of the demon's clutches. With ease, the beast reciprocated by yanking back, reeling Gordon in, as it raised a bended leg, and kicked the outmatched physicist forcefully, in the gut.

"Umph!" Gordon coughed, bent down over his stomach, as he was sent stumbling backwards. With the iconic piece of iron left firmly in its metallic hands, the creature moved in, as it raised the crowbar up over its head, mimicking the armor clad scientist's movements.

Gordon lifted his head when he heard the beast approaching. His eyes opened wide, as he saw it thrust the crowbar down at him, ferociously. At that instant, Gordon instinctively raised his left arm, defensively placing his forearm in front of his face, to shield it.

"AHHHHH!" He suddenly screamed in horrific agony, as a sputter of blood splashed onto his face, and an unbearable jolt of pain shot through his arm.

"Major laceration detected." His suit announced, as Gordon backed away, writhing in agonizing torment - his crowbar still hanging off his arm, where it's bent tip had impaled it. "Automatic medical systems engaged. Morphine administered. Medi-gel administered. Seek medical attention."

Showing not the slightest bit of mercy, the robotic assailant walked up to the brutalized physicist, as he bobbed, and squirmed on his feet, in anguish. It raised its arm, and slammed a vicious backhand against Gordon's chest, sending him flying backwards through the air, and causing him to slam hard, back first, against the ground.

"Ugh...! Oh god...!" Gordon cried out in gasping breaths, writhing and squirming in pain, as he clutched his arm when he landed – caring very little about anything else. The bent tip of his crowbar had completely impaled his arm, piercing his armor straight through, on both sides. It hadn't gone through the bone, but rather between them – rending the flesh and muscle mass between his Ulna and his Radius. He laid on his back, taking breaths in droves, as he finally came to the realization, and admitted to himself that he was beaten...

Each breath he took, was a new twinge of pain, as his respiration caused the crowbar, hanging off his flesh, to shake back and forth. Gordon lifted his right arm and reached out for his crowbar, with his hand.

"Uhhh...!" He cringed, as he clasped it tightly. Still breathing heavily, he closed his eyes, and with one, rapid, agonizing, jerking motion – he yanked it out! "AHHHHH!" His harrowing scream echoed throughout the cavern.

Moaning in pain, Gordon laid his head back, on the rocky ground, trying desperately to find some shred of relief, as he let his bloody crowbar drop to the side. Just then, he heard the loud, metallic thump of two footsteps. He opened his eyes, and raised his head as far as he could, to see two menacing, red eyes slowly approaching.

"No..." Gordon uttered in a tormented voice, as he looked on in fear.

He pushed himself away, rolling over onto his stomach, as he began to drag himself along the floor, with one arm. He felt the sharp pain in his left arm dull a bit, as the morphine began to do its job. As he slithered forward, desperately trying to get away, he noticed something about fourteen feet in front of him, among a number of contorted husk bodies. This object stood out to him, contrasting greatly with the dismal browns and yellows of the cavern. It was a dark, round object, a little larger than a person's head, marked with a bright, red stripe.

"Shepard's helmet..." Gordon thought to himself, his labyrinthine mind begging to work, as his eyes fluttered back and forth in his head, rapidly. "It should be made of the same, high-density, metal alloys as my suit..."

He quickly turned over onto his side, suddenly oblivious to the dull, throbbing pain still persistent in his arm. He looked back to see the ominous silhouette slowly approaching - it's burning, scarlet eyes piercing the dark, shadowy cavern like daggers. It walked slowly and casually, as if to taunt him, to mock him. Or perhaps to savor every scintillating sensation of fear it could.

Not wasting any time, Gordon quickly pulled a Mark-14 grenade off his belt, with his good arm, turned back around, and intrepidly began crawling forward again.

Gordon pushed against the ground with his legs, and clawed at it with his good arm, mainly using his forearm's friction to pull himself along on his stomach, as he manipulated the grenade in his hand.

"Fear not, human..." The Reaper's malevolent, sinister voice echoed through the chamber, as it approached Gordon. "For I will prolong your misery no longer..."

Gordon's armor scraped against the floor, as he dragged himself, inching his way across the cavern, desperately trying to reach his objective, which seemed to be just within arms reach, and yet so, so distant...

"The time has come for all things to end..." The beast continued, as Gordon climbed up, over the mound of bodies, nearly there. "We will vanquish your pain, and commute your flesh to dust..."

Gordon reached his arm out, worked his fingers over the helmet's chin strap, and dragged it over to him, with grenade in hand.

Suddenly, something pulled back at his leg, as he turned over, dragging him across the floor on his back. He looked up to see the baleful, devil-eyed monstrosity glaring down at him, as he held the helmet tightly by its chin guard – his grenade now no where in sight.

The mechanical apparition bent down, placed a firm grip over Gordon's neck, and yanked him up, into the air, like a rag doll - its bladed fingers lightly cutting into his flesh. It held him up to its eye level, leaving Gordon's feet dangling high off the ground, as the harmless helmet remained tightly in his grip.

15... 14... 13...

"Know this, spawn of Earth. Your struggle has been in vain. You have but delayed the inevitable..."

12... 11... 10...

"There was never any doubt this would come to pass... Behold your fate, and embrace it!"

9... 8... 7...

"Okay..." Gordon said in a raspy voice, as his oxygen supply was restricted. Just then, he gave the creature a bloody grin, with a bit of an evil gleam in his eye. "But you first!"

6... 5... 4...

Gordon raised the helmet up, and jammed it hard onto his aggressor's head, backwards. He held it in place as hard as he could, with one hand, while the beast bucked and thrashed its head around, wildly.

3... 2...

Gordon clenched his eyes tightly, and looked away. "Sorry about this, Alra..."

1... BOOM!

* * *

"Attention! All civilians are hereby ordered to evacuate the planet immediately. This is not a drill!" A voice shouted over a loud speaker, from a black, gray, and white, camo-patterned, military vehicle. These vehicles roamed much of the air and streets throughout the world, as the frantic, panic driven evacuation began. "If you do not own a transport, please report to your nearest Alliance Outpost, or designated safe house station for evacuation, in a calm, orderly fashion."

Riots broke out. A frenzied rabble filled the streets, as people clambered to get off world – trampling and stampeding like animals.

"Reports are flooding in now, from the Arcturus Fleet, of a supposed new attack strategy being implemented by these strange invaders. 'Reapers' as they've generally come to be called." A female anchor person reported from holographic screens, on H.V.s and omni-tools everywhere. "All civilians are hereby urged to leave their homes, and evacuate the planet immediately. Anyone not owning a registered transport, is urged to report to the safe house, or Alliance Outpost, nearest them. Take only what you can carry, but be warned; the maritime protocol of 'women and children first' is expected to be enforced. Reporting live from the Alliance News Desk in New York, this is Carol Lynn Costella, Alliance News Network, signing off..."

Much of the world laid ravaged... Burning cinders and floating embers coruscated the smoking piles of rubble, and flaming heaps of debris where city's once stood. Although most of the major cities had been evacuated, forcing people to abandon their homes and venture off into rural landscapes – many old hospitals, schools, or other civic or government buildings, usually on the outskirts of metropolis, served as safe houses. At least those with the luxury of basements and multiple sub-levels did.

But now, the fleeing horde of life, clutched by widespread panic, clambered to reach these so called safe houses, and military outposts. The billions of Earth's native inhabitants, coupled with the millions of Citadel refugees, all fled in a stampede to their nearest haven. Many took to the skies on their own – those lucky enough to own their own mode of transport. But for those not so lucky, the world became a bleak, anarchistic, picture of primal savagery.

"Sir! All fleets and squadrons have re-engaged the enemy!" A voice shouted out from the Orizaba's bridge. "Hostiles have not returned fire, but they are holding positions and still charging ordnance."

The ship rumbled beneath their feet, at regular intervals, as the Orizaba's powerful cannons let forth a consistent volley of plasma fire.

Admiral Hackett stood peering out of the ship's forward windows - out onto an obsidian sea of shimmering, black metal, extending far into the artificial horizon they created. A bed of Reapers. Thousands of them, each nearly twice the size of the Orizaba.

They floated high above Earth's atmosphere, clustered tightly together. So tightly in fact, that discerning where one ended, and another began was virtually impossible. As was focusing fire on any single given one of them.

Eight clusters, such as this, stood poised high above the heavens, priming their weapons over every major, Earthly body of water. Like scarlet suns in the sky – eight, ominous, red flames flickered high above. Whether behind blankets of cloudy skies, or brewing in the midst of the clear blue, or piercing the shadows of twilight – a crimson pulse of light flashed high above, steadily growing brighter and brighter.

Each cluster was completely encompassed by the vast array of ships of the Alliance Navy, the Citadel Fleet, the Quarian Flotilla, The Geth Armada, and the Tuchanka Krogan Naval Force. Flames of blue and orange burst forth violently, as every ship let forth a torrential maelstrom of hellfire - unloading every weapon in their vast arsenals at the onyx skinned, bringers of death. And as before, having little to no visible effect...

"Sir, the computer calculates approximately ten minutes until they reach critical charge."

"All ships continue assault..." Hackett ordered in a shaky, defeated voice, despite his best efforts to steady it. "No matter what, continue the assault. We can't let this happen..."

* * *

"I see..." Garrus replied, in a worried voice, as he conversed in center of the control room, with one of the vortigaunts. "Alright, I'll tell 'em." Garrus assured, nodding at the vort to dismiss himself.

He turned and walked back towards the gaping door, lit up by the strobing light of muzzle flashes, from the unyielding battery of gunfire. The line was occupied by Jack, Grunt, Legion, and Mordin, combating the ruthless onslaught that pressed them ever harder, now only about twenty yards away. Samara stood behind them, her hands lit up, ready to generate a barrier at a moments notice.

Jacob and Thane sat up against the wall, beside each other, inside the control center, near the vort control terminals. A white, gel-like, substance, much like the one lining Thane's leg, sealed the hole in Jacob's shoulder, as they sat, conversing nervously.

Miranda stood huddled over, with her lower back leaning against the right wall, trying to catch her breath, while Tali and the Commander stood on the other side, leaning against the left wall, as Shepard examined his wrist's regenerating shield gauge, which read just under four percent.

"Shepard." Garrus called out, as he approached them, causing the Commander to look up.

"The vorts are saying their machine has no power, whatsoever." The blue armored turian continued, once he noticed he had Shepard's attention. "It's useless, it's not working..."

Shepard hung his head low, shaking it as he breathed a heavy sigh, partially from exhaustion, and partially from exasperated frustration.

"What happened down there?" Garrus asked, furrowing his brow, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Was Freeman not able to get it started like he had planned?"

"I... I don't know...!" Shepard snapped a bit, throwing his hands up, as he looked at Garrus. "It shouldn't have taken him this long, but he fell out of radio contact. I don't know what's going on down there..."

Garrus raised a bewildered eyebrow, as a perplexed look came over his face.

"Wait... What?" He beckoned. "What do you mean? I thought you said he didn't make it."

"He DIDN'T make it." Miranda's voice suddenly interjected, with a sort of resentful remorse, as she crossed the doorway, towards them. "And what he means is, when Gordon triggers the necessary reaction... It'll kill him..."

Garrus' eyes opened wide in alarm.

"Oh..." He uttered in a soft tone, as a forlorn expression came over his face. "I see..."

"Yeah..." Shepard added, as he crossed his arms. "He told us he'd give us about eight minutes before he'd try to start it up. Enough time for us to get clear. But that was well over half an hour ago... Haven't heard a word from him since. Maybe its the cavern blocking radio communication, I don't know. But at this point I think we have to assume that it didn't work..."

Garrus was silent for a moment, pondering the situation as he took in the information. "So what do we do?" He eventually asked.

Shepard simply looked at him in response, clenching his lips with a dubious look on his face. Not by choice, but he just didn't have an answer to give him.

"W..." His lips peeled apart, as if to say something, but he had nothing to offer. He looked around at the faces on him - Miranda, Garrus, even the gleaming eyes of his beloved; all gazing at him, patiently waiting for him to placate them with an all-knowing response. But for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do.

"A commanding officer always knows what to do, Shepard." The guiding words of his old Captain suddenly rang in his mind. "Even if he doesn't. Remember that."

Shepard sighed. "Alright, give me some covering fire..." He eventually replied, as a look of determination subdued the doubt etched on his face. "Hold this position, while I he..."

Just then, something strange. A piercing howl grew in the distance, interrupting Shepard, as the walls around them, and the ground below them began to quake – growing louder and louder with each passing second.

The four of them quickly pulled away from the wall, priming their weapons, as they rushed to the doorway. There was an abrupt ceasefire, as the luminescent eyed vorcha suddenly letup their attack and halted their advance. They stopped and stood side by side, in perfect conformity, forming a large semi-circle around the open door way, like lights surrounding a stage.

Commander Shepard intrepidly stepped forward, coming to stand before his wonder struck team, as the sound intensified. His full attention was turned up towards the Xenian skies – a shadowy veil, painted in vibrant splotches of aqua, indigo, and green. He completely ignored the belligerent army of lights surrounding him, in spite of his nearly depleted, slowly regenerating shields.

"I know that sound..." Garrus announced nervously, as the deafening screech drew closer - seemingly approaching from the direction completely opposite of the control center door.

"We all know that sound..." Shepard affirmed, a look of sheer, dauntless, determination coming over his face, as he collapsed the assault rifle in his hands.

Just then, like a looming storm cloud, a gargantuan, shadowy, figure crept into view, from above the towering canyon wall, on the far side of the eviscerated vortigaunt village. It drew its tentacles downward, as it actually began a slow descent onto the ruins, about half a mile directly in front of them.

"Garrus..." Shepard said calmly, tilting his head far back, to gaze up at the sky-scrapping titan, as he remounted his assault rifle on his back. "Mind if I borrow that little toy of yours?" He requested, as he tapped the side of his face, near his eye socket, with one finger.

"Uh... Sure... Shepard..." Garrus submitted in a dumbfounded tone, still gawking toward the sky in awe, as he pulled the targeting visor off his face. "What do you want it for?"

"I'm gonna use it with MY little toy..." He answered confidently. Shepard held an open palm up, to his left, and Garrus placed the scouter into his hand.

Suddenly, a booming thud echoed throughout the village, and the entire terrain quaked, as the Reaper set down on the ground. It had touched down on the far end of the vortigaunt village, just inside the canyon wall, a couple of thousand feet away. With a towering body, easily a mile in height, however, it was as though it stood only inches before them. It was a colossus to say the least. Its body was sloped downward, with its head bowed low, and its tail curving up towards the sky, like a scorpion. Its blazing golden eyes seemed to glare down at Shepard, as Shepard glared right back, showing not the slightest tinge of intimidation, as his team stood gathered behind him, with their mouths agape.

Just then, two large, metallic panels on the Reaper's back, just above its gleaming eyes, extended forward, and split open, as the Commander affixed Garrus' visor to his face. It proved to be a rather lose fit, since it was designed for a turian's face, not a human's, but it would suffice.

The opened panels revealed a large, spinning, turbine-like device within the cavity, on the Reaper's back, above its eyes. A recognizable, red orb of light suddenly began to pulsate from the newly opened compartment, as Shepard pulled a large device off his back, from the center of his weapon's dock. It was a yellow and silver weapon, ominously marked with a hazardous looking radiation symbol.

The protective shutters, covering the barrel of his M-920 Cain, spun around and retracted themselves, as the crimson glowing weapon on the Reaper's back whirred loudly, and began flickering brighter and brighter.

"Get to cover..." Shepard ordered, as he brandished the Cain firmly, using Garrus' targeting visor to take careful aim.

Shepard's entire team backed away into the room, taking cover behind both sides of the walls by the doorway. His entire team, save for one. Tali stepped forward, coming to stand on his right hand side. He turned to look at her, as he heard her approach – giving her a worried smile. They shared not a word, only a brief glance, taking this chance to gaze into one another's eyes, unsure if the opportunity would ever arise again.

Shepard turned back to his target, and zoomed the scouter's view in - zeroing in on the Reaper's bright, pulsating, red light. A loud, buzzing sound began to emanate from his weapon, oscillating faster and faster, as a vivid, orange light began to radiate from the barrel, charging up to be fired.

"Farewell, gnats." A dark, rancorous voice reverberated from all around them.

Just then, Shepard squeezed the trigger, and a large, flaring, projectile instantly shot out from the Cain's barrel, blazing towards its crimson, glowing target. A split second later, the Reaper suddenly let forth a powerful blast of concentrated energy – intended to eradicate the troublesome pests where they stood.

But instead, their respective attack measures collided! The beam detonated the high capacity, highly volatile slug on contact, moments before it could impact. A flash of blinding, white light! The crack of thunder! A blast of hot air! And the ground suddenly quaking beneath their feet...

The explosion summoned forth the proverbial fires of Armageddon, as it erupted, mere feet away from the Reaper. Shepard and Tali put a hand up to shield their eyes - the thunderous sound echoing throughout the canyon, as a gust of hot air suddenly collided against them.

The Commander squinted, peering underneath his hand, as the white light slowly began to subside, and his pupils readjusted. Just then, there was another rumbling sound. A grinding, like that of massive, steel girders, or bulkheads collapsing onto one another, followed by a booming smash.

The mighty, armor plated leviathan tumbled backwards, colliding against the canyon wall - caving a large portion of it in, as it unexpectedly toppled to the ground. A huge cloud of dust and smoke was kicked up, as it collapsed – like a lofty building being demolished.

Just then, a string of stage lights unexpectedly began to fade away, as the gleam in the eyes of the vorcha, surrounding the control room door, suddenly dwindled...

"Huh..." "Wha...?" "Ow! head no feel good..." They all staggered, and stumbled about in a disoriented stupor - clutching at their own heads, after being released from their mind dominating influence, like having just woken up to a bad hangover. "Where me at?" "What happen?" "How me get here?"

They looked around nervously at each other, completely flabbergasted, dazed, and dumbfounded. Then, their eyes collectively fell on the stern faced Commander, still holding a smoking doom bringer in his hands. Without a second thought, they simply turned, and bolted away as fast as their legs could carry them. Most of them dropped their weapons when they fled. Others simply forget they were carrying them, and toted them off along with them.

"Holy hell, Shepard..." Garrus' awestruck voice exclaimed from behind, as his team emerged from cover to behold the view. "Not that I ever wanna live to see it, but is there anything you can't take down...?"

The Commander didn't respond, he simply starred up at the thick cloud of smoke that had consumed the Reaper, knowing deep down that it was still stirring inside it.

"Is it dead?" Garrus questioned, as he came to stand on Shepard's left hand side.

"Not a chance..." The Commander asserted with certainty, as he closed the shutters on his Cain, raised it over his shoulder, and remounted it onto his back.

"Alright, I'm going down there." He affirmed, as he quickly pulled the targeting visor off his brow, and handed it back to Garrus.

Shepard spun around, and stormed back into the room, as his team quickly parted sides, clearing a path for him. He walked, with a purpose, towards the heart of the control room, where the vortigaunts seemingly had abandoned their hopes of getting their machine to work.

"I need to get back down to the core chamber." Shepard called out, looking around from vort to vort, as he came up to them. "Is there any way faster than the way we came?"

"It would do the Shepard no good..." One of the vorts replied, in a bleak, hopeless tone, as he stepped forward. "The heart of our contrivance bears no life. The beasts have taken that with which we hoped to strike at them, and shattered our purpose here..."

"I know that!" The Commander asserted, with a nervous impatience. "I know! The Reapers. They had destroyed your uh... Your machine's fusion... generator well..." Shepard struggled, not fulling recalling the technical aspects of the vort's machine.

"But Dr. Freeman thought he could get the core to work using his gravity gun." He continued, as each and every vort in the room quickly raised their head, their attention suddenly and completely enthralled. "Only, he fell outta contact..."

"The Free Man lives?" The vortigaunt addressing Shepard beckoned.

"But exposure to the operative heart would rend his vortal cords cut!" A separate vort added, as they all quickly gathered around the Commander.

"I know..." Shepard replied with a sigh, in a more placid tone. "And he knew... It was his choice. But something's obviously gone wrong. I need to get down there. Please, what's the quickest path?"

"Too late, Commander!" Jacob's voice suddenly grabbed his attention, forcing Shepard to turn with a jerk back to face the doorway. "That thing's gettin' back up..."

Jacob was standing near the doorway, holding his own arm up with his right hand, like a sling, with his body twisted back to face the Commander.

Shepard shook his head, as he quickly bolted back towards the doorway, leaving the vorts standing, huddled together, near their control consoles. When he left, they immediately convened – engaging in a tense conversation, speaking in their own native tongue, as they utilized a wide array of assertive nods and dubious hand gestures.

The loud rumbling and grinding he could hear outside was evidence enough for what he knew to be true, as Shepard reached the door. Outside; from within the thick, heavy smoke turned fog, now obscuring the landscape, he saw the abhorrent shadow of a colossus begin to rise once more. Thud! Thud! Thud! The ground trembled with each individual appendage it planted firmly upon the land, as it propped itself upright.

"Shit..." Shepard whispered to himself, swallowing a gulp, as a chill washed over his body.

Just then he got an idea. If he was able to stun it once, maybe he could do it again. He looked down, and quickly reached for the small, disk-like explosives on his belt.

"Grunt! Garrus!" He called out, as he pulled three M-14 charges off his belt. "Your grenades! All of 'em!"

The krogan and the turian quickly complied, reaching down onto their belts, and pulling off each of their three issued grenades, as a dim, red, light began to cut through the fog outside.

"Set 'em for impact detonation." Shepard ordered, as he rapidly and skillfully manipulated the grenades in his own hands, leading his two alien soldiers to do the same.

"Samara." He called out, motioning her over with a jerk of his head, as the crimson pulse outside intensified. Samara approached from his left. Garrus and Grunt from his right, their grenades in hand, all reading ARMED.

"How's your aim?" He questioned, instructing her with his eyes, as his pupils batted from the grenades, out to the ominous silhouette.

"Impeccable." She assured confidently, as a cerulean blaze engulfed her hands. "My life as a Justicar has given me nearly a thousand years of practice." The same blaze suddenly enveloped the nine grenades, as they gently floated into the air, out of hand.

"Do it." Shepard ordered. "Aim for the opening on its back."

The instant he said it, the hovering explosives suddenly lined up into a tidy, horizontal row, aimed directly at the Reaper. Fwep! Fwep! Fwep! They rapidly shot forward, one by one, slicing through the air at incredible speeds, with a whipping sound.

And one by one, they collided against the sky-scrapping gargantuan, detonating on impact. Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Orange balls of flame erupted under the cover of smoke, across the Reaper's back. But despite the number of grenades they used, the damage capacity of the small, anti-personnel, explosives was hopelessly dwarfed by that of the Commander's favorite, experimental, ordnance.

Suddenly, and without warning, a fiery red streak of light shot out from behind the puff of smoke, slicing in an angled direction across the ground at blinding speeds, straight towards the control room door.

Shepard's eyes opened wide, as he watched the blazing pillar of light streak towards them. With one lightning fast motion, he turned away, ducked his head, clenched his eyes, and gritted his teeth, as he awaited certain oblivion. But oblivion never came...

"Ahhhh...!" Samara's anguished moan caused Shepard to suddenly open his eyes and turn back around.

"It is... too powerful!" She uttered in tears, as she held two quivering hands out in front of her, generating a shimmering wall that sealed the doorway. "I... cannot... sustain it..."

The beam's blinding light poured in, bathing the entire room in a red luminance, like the light in a photographer's dark room, as the crimson laser quickly began to eat away at Samara's biotic barrier. For Garrus, Legion, Thane, and Jack, it brought about a chilling sensation of deja vu.

Much like before, the temperature quickly began to rise, and steam began pouring from cracks in the walls. One difference however, is this time, the powerful beam seemed to be breaking the cavernous, control center asunder. Like black lightning bolts running across the walls and ceiling, large cracks began to form, as the room was slowly shaking apart.

"Hold on, Samara!" Miranda yelled out, as she came to stand beside her, generating her own barrier to supplement the Asari's.

Miranda's eyes grew wide, and she suddenly gasped in shock. The instant she raised a barrier, it was as though she was trying to hold off a speeding freight train, as the incredible amount of power exerted by the Reaper immediately began draining her biotic force.

"Move over cheerleader." Jack scoffed arrogantly, as she came to stand beside the Cerberus Operative. "Let a real biotic handle this."

Jack's hands lit up, as she swiftly threw them out in front of her. Much in the same way, her eyes suddenly opened wide, and her hands immediately began to tremble, as she was instantly greeted by the same sensation that had overtaken Miranda.

"We won't be able to hold it for long!" Miranda cried out, in a pained voice, as she felt exhaustion quickly setting in.

"That thing will cook us alive in here..." Garrus remarked, as he came to stand beside the Commander, shaking his head with a look of dread in his eyes. "Believe me, I know..."

Shepard took a quick around the room, studying the cracking walls, and crumbling ceiling, as bits and pieces dropped to the floor.

"No..." Shepard refuted, shaking his head, as he raised his hand to his ear without pressing it. "It'll probably bring the place down on top of us, long before we've had a chance to fry..."

He breathed a heavy, worried sigh before pressing two fingers to his communicator. "Dr. Freeman. If you can hear this... Please respond...!"

Further in, towards the center of the control room, the vortigaunts still stood convened. Although resolute in a newfound objective, the fear and panic was clearly visible on their alien faces.

"Corag dureg al chulam!" One of them exclaimed, adamantly addressing his peers, as they remained steadfast, not letting the grave situation sway them from their task.

"Kurr... dak'ga soleg!" He continued, as he pointed towards two of the vorts, at the center of the group, and nodded.

"Galanga..." "Galanga..." They each said, as they returned the nod in accordance.

Just then, they closed their various eyes, and brought their hands together, clasping them, as the others quickly rushed back to their consoles.

The bodies of the two were suddenly bathed in a vibrant, lavender glow - prevalent even in the cerise painted room, as they slowly began chanting a strange, harmonious, vortal incantation...

* * *

"Wel-Wel-Welcome to the HE-E-E-E-V Mark S-S-Six pro... Warning haz-hazardous ch-ch-chemicals detected... Anti-venom admi-ni-stered. User death administered. Have a very safe day!"

Gordon laid unconscious, as his suit's artificial voice sputtered nonsensically, randomly alternating between fast and slow rates of speaking – an indicator of the damage it had sustained. Most of the front of his armor bared a black scorch mark, and much of it was destroyed. His entire chest plate was dented, as if being smashed in. And the small, control interface on the front of his suit was completely obliterated, causing it to intermittently spit out flurries of sparks.

The grenade he had affixed to the inside of Shepard's helmet blew with a rupturing, downward explosion, completely annihilating the assaulting, cybernetic terror. And the helmet itself worked in directionally focusing the blast enough, that the ensuing percussion didn't cause any sort of collapse, or cave in. Nor did it kill him, but it did succeed in rendering him unconscious, and enfeebled.

"Dr. Freeman!" Gordon's brow began to twitch, like someone having a nightmare, as a voice screamed in his ear. "Dr. Freeman, are you there? Can you hear me!"

Gordon slowly pried his eyes apart, and began blinking them rapidly, as he suddenly came to. His eyes batted around the dark chamber for a moment, dazed and disoriented, before he suddenly recalled what had happened.

"Ugh..." Gordon groaned, his stiff muscles aching, as he tried to pull himself off the ground, and sit up. The pain in his arm was significantly dulled, and most of the pain he was in seemed to have numbed, as the morphine injectors did their job – probably one of the few remaining functions still working on his suit.

"Dr. Freeman, can you hear me!" Shepard's voice continued to pound persistently in his ear, with a loud rumbling in the background. "If you're there, respond!"

"Mmph..." Gordon raised his right arm, and clutched his forehead for a moment, with his eyes closed, as if trying to quell a headache, before moving his hand towards his ear.

"Commander..." He replied in a pained, coarse voice. "Sorry. I ran into a bit of trouble down here..."

"Gordon! Thank god!" Shepard exclaimed, with a stunned relief, as sweat poured from his face, and large chunks of debris collapsed around him. "Gordon listen to me. We're at the control room. We're ready to activate the machine, but the Reaper up here is bringing the place down on top of us. You have GOT to start it up NOW!"

Gordon's mouth hung open as he listened to the grim situation. Suddenly, a few feet away from him, another of the husk corpses began to twitch and writhe, as a red torrent of electrical energy began arching out from it.

"Oh shit...!" Gordon uttered to himself, as he watched in horror.

"On my way!" Gordon affirmed, quickly pressing his finger to his communicator.

"God speed, Gordon..." Shepard replied worriedly, before pulling his hand away. He looked around as the room quaked violently, and a shimmering wall of blue collided against a blazing beam of red.

Jacob had now joined the three women - standing beside Samara, holding one hand out and gritting his teeth, as they attempted to stave off what seemed to be an irresistible force.

"God speed..."

"Sir!" One of the officers on the Orizaba shouted out, as the furious volley continued outside the ships – still having no visible effect. "Approximately two to three minutes before we can expect discharge, sir!"

"My god..." Captain Donaghy gasped, with tears welling up in her eyes, as she stood by the Admiral, gazing out of the forward windows. "It's really happening... The end of our world..."

"Not yet, Captain..." Hackett replied, with a stoic resolve, as he turned to look at her. "Tell the other fleets to break away immediately. And have all our squadrons prepare to initiate nuclear launch protocols... We're gonna take these bastards down with us..."

She looked at him for a moment, her eyes opened wide, and her mouth slightly ajar, as a single teardrop rolled down each of her cheeks, leaving twin, glistening trails behind. A matching look of resolve suddenly came over her face, as she clenched her lips and nodded her head, accepting what was soon to be. "Aye-aye, Admiral..."

Gordon planted his hands firmly on the ground, his arms quivering all the while, as he mustered every last ounce of strength left in his body to push himself up. As he stood, he wobbled, like a punch drunk boxer trying to stay on his feet.

He watched, as the nearby vortigaunt husk continued to twitch, and convulse - its dead flesh slowly being burned off its body. Gordon shook his head defiantly, as he quickly staggered forward, his knees nearly buckling with every step.

"The gravity gun...!" He exclaimed to himself, as he looked around the cavern, from behind shattered lenses.

"Alert. Barometric pressure increasing." Legion announced, as steam blasted out from cracks in the walls, like pressure valves. "Temperatures rising to dangerous levels."

"Hold on, Siha!" Thane exclaimed, as he used the searing wall behind him, to push himself off the floor. Hopping on one leg, he jumped over towards the four fading biotics, as they tried desperately to keep the barrier from going down. The only thing keeping them alive, as they slowly simmered in the giant, stone, oven.

"Umph..." Gordon collapsed against a natural, stone column. Holding onto it with his right arm, to keep himself from falling to the ground, as he searched the area for his gravity gun. Just then, he spotted a pulsating, blue beacon, glowing far toward the center of the chamber, near the massive Eezo core.

He pushed himself away from the column, and staggered forward as fast as his fatigued legs could take him. Behind him, the cybernetic endoskeleton of a lone vortigaunt husk, was all that remained, as its arms and legs began to extend, and sharp, blade-like protrusions began to form on its hands and feet.

"Battlemaster, look out!" Grunt shouted, as he pointed towards the ceiling, above Shepard.

Shepard looked up, to see a large portion of the ceiling break away from the rest. He rapidly dove out out of the way, with uncanny quickness, just as the massive chunk smashed against the ground, breaking into a million pieces.

"Sir..." Donaghy began with a sigh, as she gulped at a stubborn knot in her throat. "All foreign, allied fleets are engaging FTL speeds, and departing. And all our squadrons confirm nuclear arsenals ready in all respects. Awaiting your authorization codes for final confirmation..."

Gordon stumbled, and fell forward just as he reached his gravity gun; still a glowing conduit of raw, unadulterated energy, in the dark, dismal cavern. He stretched his arm out, and gripped the side handle, using it to drag it over to him.

"Heheh..." He released an exhausted chuckle as he held it in his hand. Just then, he heard a familiar noise, like metal scraping against stone, causing him to turn over, and look behind him.

He watched as another sinister, metal, monstrosity slowly began to stand up from the ground; red streaks of energy pulsating all over its body, and its bladed hands fanning out menacingly.

Thane, Jack, Miranda, Samara, and Jacob stood in a line, side by side, shoulder to shoulder to shoulder, with a row of trembling hands out in front of them. Drenched in sweat, and overcome with agony, their faces were a picture of strife, as they desperately tried to hold back the Reaper's immeasurable power.

"John..." Tali said in a hushed voice, as she came up to Shepard.

He turned to look at her, watching the frightened semblance in the white, gleaming eyes, behind her faceplate. And he couldn't help himself from feeling the same thing. He stepped forward towards her, reaching out, and taking her hand within his. He brought it up to his lips, kissed her hand, and the two wrapped their arms around each other, as the crimson colored room quickly went from green house, to sauna, to oven, to broiler...

"I love you, Tali..."

"Admiral Stephen R. Hackett..." The Admiral began reluctantly, as his stomach grew nauseous. "Confirming final authorization. Archimedes. Indian..."

The creature suddenly began to charge at Gordon, as he pushed himself off the ground, and rushed forward, with gravity gun in hand, desperately fighting against his legs' insistence to give out.

"...Rhubarb..."

Samara could feel herself gasp for oxygen. Her deprived lungs yearned for it in the sweltering pit, as a blue trickle of blood began to pour from her nose, matching the red ones already oozing from Miranda's and Jack's.

"...November..."

The beast leapt into the air, towards Gordon, as he raised the gravity gun and aimed it up at the great boulder of Element Zero.

"For Alyx and Eli...!" He exclaimed to himself, as he closed his eyes, and pulled back on the primary trigger. A powerful surge of raw energy shot out from the gravity gun, and made contact with the element core. It was immediately engulfed in a blinding wave of white light, as the monstrosity descended on him – its bladed claws primed to impale.

"...Gemini..."

Within moments, the entire cavern was bathed in fatal levels of heat, and radiation – painting the chamber in a blinding luminescence. Gordon could see the celestial, white light seeping in through his closed eyelids, inviting him in, as he felt a sudden, pleasant warmth began to wash over his body. He heard himself take one, final, pronounced breath as he peacefully let go - feeling himself get pulled away, while the sound of ethereal chanting echoed all around him.

"...Sentinel. Niner. Zero. Niner..."

"Launch codes confirmed!" Captain Donaghy announced, as the computer accepted and authorized the given code. "On your order, Admiral!"

Shepard and his crew were quickly fading away in the searing oven. Especially those struggling to maintain the biotic barrier, as they fought back an insurmountable amount of brute force. All of them gasped for air – their strength diminishing, as their vision quickly began to blur and fade away into darkness.

Suddenly, in the midst of collapse, and scalding temperatures, the control consoles in the room unexpectedly sprang to life. Many of the various crystalline protrusions lit up, and the orb shaped displays suddenly exhibited a plethora of vortigese readings.

"The Free Man has restored life to our contrivance!" One of the vorts yelled out, as his console was suddenly abuzz with power.

"Fire it!" Shepard immediately demanded, when he heard the exclamation, still holding his beloved quarian tightly, with his eyes clenched shut.

Tiny beams of electricity shot out from the vortigaunts' hands, making contact with the crystalline objects on the consoles, as they frantically went to work.

"Thirty to forty seconds until critical charge!" An officer on the bridge of the flagship dreadnought, yelled out in a panic, as Hackett stood pensively gazing out the window, with one arm crossed, and his other hand over his mouth.

"Sir, we need a decision...!" Captain Donaghy beckoned, as she stood by, awaiting word from her superior. "Stephen, if you're going to give the launch order... Now is the time to do it..."

A loud hum began to resonate from deep beneath the Xenian underground. It wasn't like the vibrations being created by the attacking Reaper, no... This was a sound unlike any ever heard before. It seemed to cry out from the bowels of the planet itself. Like the wrath incurring awakening of some angry, ancient god.

Suddenly, a gargantuan pillar of swirling, blue light, utterly dwarfing the Reaper's tiny red beam by comparison, shot out, and pierced the green Xenian sky. A torrential whirlpool of light and energy swirled high above, as the arrant beam fed into the heavens.

"Twenty seconds!"

"Do it." Hackett asserted reluctantly, as he turned away from the windows, bowing his head, and closing his eyes – mournful for all the lives he knew he was about to send to the grave, but hopeful still, to save billions more.

"Order acknowledged!" Donaghy exclaimed, as she turned to her crew. "All vessels ready to fire on my mark!"

"Remember... We do this for Earth..." She said as she stood at attention, and placed her hands stoically behind her back. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "Fire!"

At that precise moment, the instant before the mandated order could be executed, the lights on the bridge suddenly began to flicker unexpectedly, causing the Captain to open her eyes once more.

The screens, monitors, and read-outs on the bridge quickly became scrambled, and all instrumentation on-board simply went haywire for a split second, before it all returned to normal.

"What just happened?" Captain Donaghy demanded, after having witnessed the strange phenomenon.

"Some sort of energy surge ma'am..." One of the crew members replied, as he studied his screen, which seemed completely unaffected now. "A massive one... From an unknown source..."

The Admiral's eyes suddenly opened wide, upon hearing the information. He turned back towards the window, and carefully watched the targeted sea of Reapers.

Suddenly, a bright, blue, flash of light poured in through the windows, forcing Hackett to squint and raise his hand to shield his eyes. Like the sunlight making its first appearance over the morning horizon, a blue wave of light swept across the sea of Reapers outside, consuming each one in a maelstrom of arching energy.

"Has it affected any of our systems?" Donaghy beckoned urgently.

"No ma'am." The officer addressing her replied, as he studied his screen. "All systems online."

"Then Fi...!"

"Cancel that order!" Admiral Hackett immediately yelled out, cutting Donaghy off, as he swung himself around, and walked back towards the center of the bridge. "All ships abort launch protocols!"

"Sir?" The Captain questioned nervously, furrowing her brow, as she looked at him with stunned confusion.

"Captain, look outside!" Hackett beseeched, tugging back on her shoulder to turn her around, as he pointed towards the window.

Outside, the calm, endless sea of Reapers, charging up their weapons, to bring about the end of humanity, had grown violent, and turbulent. The red pulses of light, they were collectively charging, abruptly dwindled, and faded. A torrent of blue, electrical energy arched out from each one, and they seemed to cry out, and moan, like dying monsters in terrible anguish. It was a pained, metallic bellow, that resonated through the ships, and across the vast horizons of the Earth below. They writhed, and twitched feverishly... Agonizingly... Like condemned creatures in a magnificent, unseen, electric chair.

"What in the name of..." Captain Donaghy uttered under her breath. Her lips twitched, and she furrowed her brow, as she watched - stricken with shock, horror, and confusion. "W-Wha...? ...Sir, what are they doing...?"

"I'm not sure..." Hackett answered dubiously, shaking his head as he continued to gaze out of the window. "But from the look of it, I'd say they were dying..."


	42. Chapter 42: Downfall Part V

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 42: Downfall (Part V)**

**Salvation...**

Like stadium lights abruptly shutting down, the crumbling furnace of a room suddenly went dark. The blazing red light ceased, and a ghastly, mechanical moan suddenly cried out, in anguish, from the outside. Garrus and Grunt stumbled around a bit, like old men in the dark, as their vision suddenly became dark and spotty.

"Unhh..." Samara let out an anguished gasp, as she quickly let the biotic field drop.

No longer able to sustain the barrier, or themselves, Jack and Samara both toppled forward, onto all fours. They heaved heavily, trying desperately to receive oxygen into their deprived lungs – gasping for air like drowning victims pulled out of the water.

Thane dropped his hold on the shield, just as he collapsed backwards, onto his posterior, in a disorientated stupor. And Jacob, not having exerted all of his energy, due to the use of only one arm, simply released his biotic hold, and clutched the side of his head, as he staggered around in a daze.

Although the temperature had stopped increasing, it didn't seem to be dropping. When the light subsided, Shepard opened his eyes, in stunned relief, as he took a brief look around the darkness.

He quickly looked down at Tali, who still held her arms around him, with her head resting against his shoulder pad. He pulled away from her a bit, gently placing a hand beneath her chin, and bringing her gaze up to him to make sure she was alright.

John immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled warmly at her, when he saw her glistening eyes staring back up at him. "Hey bright eyes..." He said.

"Ahhhhh!" Miranda's voice suddenly cried out in torment, quickly garnering the Commander's attention.

To his shock, Miranda was still fighting to sustain the biotic barrier, despite there being nothing to sustain it against. Her facial expression was perpetuated in agony. She was drenched in sweat, and twin streams of blood poured out of her nose, as her hands convulsed violently.

"Miranda!" Shepard shouted, as he and Tali released each other, and rushed over to her.

"Miranda, let it go!" He pleaded, as he ran up beside her, and placed his hand over her arm – pushing down against it, trying to snap the self-destructing biotic out of her traumatic trance. "It's over... It's over, Miranda! It stopped! Let it go!"

Miranda's eyes opened a bit, as the voice of someone calling her name seemed to beckon her, from a dream. She saw the Commander's face, begging her, pleading for her to let go. Her arms suddenly dropped, and her body went limp, as she fell backwards, quickly being caught by Shepard. She hysterically began coughing, and gasping for oxygen.

The instant her biotic barrier went down, a blast of fresh air suddenly blew in from the outside, bringing a flood of much needed relief to the exhausted, dehydrated, wounded, and quite literally, burned out crew.

"Commander..." Miranda said with a series of coughs, as she looked up at him - still reclined against his arm, trying to catch her breath.

"Shhh... Just breathe." Shepard said worriedly, fanning her with his hand, as her breathing slowly became less labored. "Atta girl... That's it. You're alright... You're alright..."

Garrus was the first to lurch towards the welcoming light of the outside, as the icy fresh breeze beguiled them all out, from the searing room.

"Ehehe... Hehehe..." He chuckled lightly to himself, taking deep, intermittent breaths, as he dropped to all fours, and basked in the fresh air. From his prone position, he then raised his head, and looked up at the ominous shadow before him.

Smoke spilled out, from the top of the open doorway, as Shepard's crew began to pour out. Their eyes were watery, their flesh was seared, their bodies were feeble and sore, and they heaved a collective sputter of coughs. And as they emerged, each one of them brought their eyes up to meet the dying colossus before them.

Showers of sparks rained down, and blue streaks of electrical discharge consumed the towering monster. It quivered and shook in place, as a violent maelstrom of energy washed over its body. The golden flares in its eyes persisted defiantly, but they flickered in the tempest, slowly growing dark.

Jack and Thane limped out, side by side, with their arms around each others backs. Thane tried to stand on his own as best he could, hopping along on one leg, but Jack held the drell close enough to make sure she was the one keeping him upright.

Mordin helped Samara make her way out. He held his right hand against her back, and held her left hand with his left, assisting her in the same way one might help an old or pregnant woman.

When they reached the outside, Samara nodded and put a hand up to the Salarian Doctor - thanking him, and letting him know that she could manage on her own, all with the same gesture. She huddled over, trying to catch her breath, with her eyes stuck to the perishing Reaper.

In a similar way, Tali and Shepard helped Miranda hobble out, on either side. The air felt cold, as it caressed their skin, like a cold chill after a hot shower. But it was soothing, and refreshing.

Even Tali could feel the dramatic change in the temperature outside. After all, her suit's built-in, climate adjustment function could only offset the temperature by so much. And she knew the fact, that none of her suit's internal systems being damaged, was nothing short of miraculous.

Grunt snorted as he came out, with legion and the vorts all following, helping one another along. He may not have been keen on showing it, but even the mighty krogan breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he stepped out.

As they all emerged; limping, staggering, dazed, disoriented, and dehydrated – all eyes fixated on the same thing.

The demon-eyed, onyx-skinned, titan before them continued to seize and writhe in torturous anguish, as arching, blue, electrical energy enveloped its body. The bellowing moan of steel grinding echoed loudly, as its every twitch, its every jerk could be felt, rumbling beneath their feet.

Commander Shepard walked forward, an incensed look of rage coming over his expression, as he looked up at the Reaper. He stopped, and stared straight into the titan's wavering eyes, which seemed to glare right back at him.

"How does it feel, Requiem!" Shepard yelled out at the top of his lungs, with a look of pure, unadulterated contempt on his face, and a wrathful anger burning inside him. "How does it feel, knowing that now you die at the hands of those infinitely your lesser!"

All of a sudden, the mechanized giant let forth a furious, monstrous roar, causing the entire region to tremble and quake violently. The vortigaunts and the entire crew all pressed their palms against their ears, as the sonic sound cut through the air, and echoed across the sky. All of them, except for one.

"Answer me, Reaper! Tell me how it feels!"

John Shepard stood with his hands tightly balled into fist, as he glared angrily, up into the fading eyes of the apparition before him. Its blood-curdling roar abruptly came to an end, and a loud grinding sound began to resonate, as it suddenly raised its front-most appendage high into the air, intent on crushing the miniscule Commander.

Just then, its eyes flashed twice before they slowly dwindled into darkness. It stood motionlessly for a moment, its tentacle raised high above, like a giant, menacing fist, waiting to come down. A loud, creaking sound could be heard, like that of heavy steel girders grinding against one another. The sound quickly grew louder, as it suddenly toppled backwards, like a giant redwood. Once again, it collided against what remained of the canyon wall, with a thunderous percussion. And as the ensuing cloud of dust, debris, and smoke was kicked up, a second deafening slam came, kicking up a huge gust of wind for miles around, as it fell to the ground, void of all life...

Shepard shut his eyes, and turned away, as the powerful wave of air blew past him, and his team – the tiny specks of fast movie debris nicking at their exposed flesh. When it stopped, an eerie tranquility crept in, over them. The wind could still be heard, howling through chasms, past ravines, and across various natural formations. And in the distance, they could hear the cawing of some strange, alien, bird life.

"My god..." Shepard uttered under his breath, as he gazed upon the downed leviathan, veiled under a blanket of smoke. He slowly turned around to face his team, with a stunned expression on his face. "It worked..."

His team seemed to share in his awestruck countenance - looking back and forth at one another, in stunned silence, as he walked back towards them.

"It's over..." Shepard said, showing a suppressed exuberance, as he came up to Tali. He placed his hands on the sides of her faceplate, and looked into her eyes, as a huge, relieved grin began to grow on his face, and his eyes actually glazed over with tears.

"It's over...!" Shepard said again to her, exhibiting a mixture of relief, exasperation, sorrow, disbelief, and jubilation - unsure whether to laugh or cry. He kissed her faceplate, and pressed his forehead against hers, as they wrapped their arms around each other.

"I know, John..." Tali replied softly, as the two shared a tender embrace. "Thank keelah..."

"YEEEEEEHOOOOOO!" Garrus' voice unexpectedly bawled out, ushering the team to suddenly erupted into an excited rabble of cheers, hoots, howls, and hollers. "We did it!"

Shepard's team and the vorts all threw their hands up in the air - the essence of celebration overtaking them all, as they stood in the lifeless presence of a fallen titan. Fists were pumped into the air. Guns were toted high over their heads. And the area became ablaze with a jade fire, as the vortigaunts channeled a pulse of electric energy – arcing in all directions, as they raised their arms up, in jovial celebration.

"Come 'ere you!" Garrus exclaimed cheerfully, as he walked up to Grunt. He grabbed him by both shoulders, and unexpectedly rammed his head hard, into Grunt's boney plated skull, in true krogan fashion.

"Hah!" Grunt let out a jolly chuckle at the unexpected gesture, as Garrus reeled back in a bit of a daze. Grunt reached out, and grabbed the turian's hand, both to shake it and to keep him from falling.

"It truly was a glorious battle!" Grunt exclaimed, reeling Garrus back in, as he shook his hand heartily.

"Indeed it was." Garrus agreed, still a little dizzy.

"Hard to believe its over, eh Doc?" Jacob questioned, as he and Mordin shook hands.

"Hard to believe? Quite." Mordin replied, with a grin. "Hard to accept? Not in the slightest."

Vortigaunts chanted, and cheered. The crew hugged, and shook hands gleefully. Jack and Thane shared an impassioned kiss. And Shepard squeezed Tali tightly, lifting her off the ground, as he twirled her around in circles.

"Hehehehe..." They laughed together, as Shepard set her down. They pulled closely once more, as they looked out at the childlike excitement that had consumed the others. But one dejected figure stood out among the rest.

Miranda stood with her hands clasped at her waist. Her head was bowed slightly, and she held a smile on her face, but it was a forced one, easily betrayed by the mournful lament in her eyes.

"Poor Miranda..." Tali said, as they looked on, at the despondent Cerberus Agent. "And poor Dr. Freeman... I never realized they had come to care so much for eachother..."

"Yeah..." The Commander replied, the joy in his voice now drowned out by his sorrow. "If only there could've been some other way..."

They shared a brief, weary-eyed glance, before the two of them turned, and slowly walked over toward Miranda.

"Hey..." Shepard called out, with his arm around Tali, as they approached.

Miranda looked up, and turned to face them, trying even harder to force her fraudulent grin.

"Commander..." She replied, as she stood up straight, and saluted him.

Shepard stopped, and casually returned the gesture, as an awkward silence befell them.

"So..." He began, breaking the silence with a forced grin of his own. "Looks like we finally won, huh?"

Miranda simply nodded her head reluctantly in response, still wearing a lamented smile, as she turned away, and pretended to watch the others celebrate.

"Listen, he..." Shepard began again, hesitating as he searched for the right words. "He saved our lives with what he did, Miranda... All our lives... Always remember that..."

"I know, Shepard..." Miranda replied softly, as she slowly turned back to face him, fighting back the knot in her throat and the tears in her eyes. "But I'm still going to miss him..."

"Yeah, I know..." The Commander said, sighing with a remorse heavy voice, and gently nodding his head. "We all will..."

Miranda took a deep breath before speaking again. "Thank you for the concern, Commander. It means a lot to me. But I'll be alright." She assured him, with a smile. "This is supposed to be a joyous occasion, after all..."

* * *

"Sir!" Captain Donaghy began, as she rushed up to Admiral Hackett, and saluted him. "We just received more matching reports from Bravo, Zulu, and Eagle squadrons... They all say the same thing. They detected a massive energy surge, followed by immediate disruption of all enemy vessels... Its the same all over the world."

Hackett stood gazing pensively out of the forward windows, as he held a curled index finger over his lips, while crossing his other arm.

Outside, the unrelenting force of the Reaper War Machine floated lifelessly in the void. Their outcries had gone silent, and the lights had faded from their eyes. Now simply one, huge, inanimate mass – they floated aimlessly together. Adrift, like dry leaves on a puddle.

"Could it be a trick?" Hackett questioned, careful not to make the mistake of getting his hopes up. "Could they be toying with us...? Or trying to lure us into a false sense of security...?"

"I really don't think that's possible, sir. Even for these things..." Captain Donaghy affirmed confidently, with the traces of a relieved chuckle in her voice. "Vessels that powerful, of that size, clustered that closely together... There's no way they could completely mask their energy signatures that efficiently... Our scans aren't detecting ANYTHING, sir. No power output, no energy readings... Nothing whatsoever..."

"They're dead, sir..." Donaghy continued, as a big grin came over her face, despite her efforts to contain her delight. "All of them..."

"Hold on, Captain..." The Admiral replied, raising his hand to stop her, and keeping his wary demeanor intact. "One step at a time. Now... That energy surge. What was it? Where did it come from?"

"We're working on that now, sir." Donaghy assured, as the two of them turned away from the windows, and walked back towards the center of the bridge together. "We've contacted the other fleets, and so far the Citadel Fleet, the quarians, and the krogans all reported experiencing the same energy surge, but like us, none of them were affected by it. We're having some difficulty triangulating its source, but so far we've placed its point of origin somewhere far outside charted space. Beyond the Artemis Tau cluster, and the Aries Sigma Asteroid Belt."

"Way the hell out there...?" Hackett questioned, with a bewildered look, as the two suddenly stopped. "But from where? From who? There's nothing that far out..."

"Not that we know of, sir..." Captain Donaghy replied respectfully, shrugging her shoulders, as she stood up straight, and placed her arms behind her back.

All around the two commanding officers, the crew members on the bridge worked frantically- initiating scans, taking readings, sending and receiving communications. A lot of them would leave their seats, rushing off to another station to confirm or request data or analysis. But there was something new driving them now. It was no longer a desperate race for survival, at least not for now. No, there was an exuberance in the air now. An optimism. As they checked their data, they would stop and tell a joke, or even share a laugh or two. Granted they might have been nervous, uneasy laughs, but it was laughter nonetheless.

"According to Citadel satellite records," Donaghy continued. "there's only been one vessel anywhere near that sector, in the past thirty-six hours."

"Don't tell me..." Hackett said sarcastically, as he grinned with a raised eyebrow. "The Normandy..."

"Aye, sir."

* * *

"Tali, do me a favor." The Commander said, as he walked with a bit of a limp, towards his congregated crew, mixed in with their jubilant vortigaunt allies.

The team's victorious festivities were slowly beginning to die down, as the aches, pains, and injuries riddling their bodies becoming prevalent once more. But they were still able bodied enough to share a happy hug, a hearty handshake, or a congratulatory pat on the back with one another.

"Take Mordin, Legion, and Grunt with you." He continued, as he came up to Tali, with his hands on his hips. "Try to track down the Normandy. And see how Joker and the rest of the crew are doing."

"Sure." Tali acknowledged with a nod, as she brought up her arm to materialize her omni-tool.

"We'll radio you when we find it." She affirmed, as she punched in a few keys, causing a three-dimensional, holographic representation of the Xenian landcape to appear.

"We shall accompany the veiled one..." One of the vorts said, as he and a partner stepped forward, towards Tali and her group. "To assist, should the need for guidance arise."

"Great!" Tali exclaimed, as a pulsating beacon lit up on her omni-tool's map. "We can probably find it quicker with your help."

Tali led the way; the rest of the vortigaunts and Shepard's team quickly clearing a path for the six, as they walked away, towards one of the passageway entrances.

"The rest of you, head back to the LZ camp." He continued, as he looked around at the faces of the vortigaunts and his crew. "Take the vorts with you. Get yourselves treated, and get some rest... You've more than earned it." Shepard nodded with a grin.

"What about you, Commander?" Miranda asked, as a few members of the team began to turn, and walk or limp away.

Shepard released a sigh, as he turned back around to face the giant, metal, monster behind them. He was silent for a moment, as his eyes scanned the lifeless colossus from top to bottom and from end to end.

"I'm just... gonna stick around here for a while longer..." He eventually replied.

Miranda nodded as she too turned, and began to walk away with the others. As they withdrew, one among them stayed behind.

"Ol' egg head really came through for us, didn't he?" Garrus said, in a solemn tone, as he came to stand beside Shepard - the two of them gazing up at the fallen Reaper before them.

"Yeah, he really did... " Shepard replied in a hushed voice, nodding his head. "And I knew he would..."

Garrus sighed. He placed his hand over Shepard's shoulder, accompanying him in the remorse over the loss of their departed friend. After a brief moment of silence, the turian withdrew his hand, shook his head mournfully, and turned to walk away – leaving the contemplative Commander behind with his thoughts.

"Commander." EDI's voice unexpectedly chimed in from his radio, surprising him a bit.

He promptly raised his hand, and pressed to fingers to the side of his ear. "I'm here, EDI. Go ahead."

"I am receiving an incoming transmission, from Admiral Hackett, of the Arcturus Fleet on Earth." EDI's voice informed.

"Hackett..." Shepard said to himself, not actually responding into the radio. His gaze widened a bit, as he suddenly realized he had no idea, whether or not the effects of the vortigaunts' machine had even worked anywhere but here.

"Put 'em through, EDI." He quickly responded, a pressing sense of urgency in his voice, and a newfound look of concern in his eyes.

The sound of static quickly cracked in his ear, followed by a voice.

"Commander Shepard." A familiar, grizzled voice came through, over his radio. "This is..."

"Admiral Hackett, sir...!" Shepard pointedly began, cutting the Admiral off, as he pressed against his communicator. "The Reapers... Are they dead? Please tell me they're all dead, sir..." He beckoned, pleadingly.

"Uhm, yes, they are. We... wait..." Hackett stuttered in befuddlement, as Shepard slowly let out a deep, withheld sigh of relief. "H-How did you know that, Shepard...?"

A big grin grew on Shepard's face, as he hung his head forward, lightly laughing to himself, with his hands on his hip.

"Commander..." The Admiral's perplexed voice continued. "What exactly did you do? And how exactly did you do it...?"

"Heh..." Shepard chuckled, as he raised his hand to his ear again. "It's a long a story story, sir..."

As he casually paced around, suddenly he noticed something in the distance. The massive amount of smoke, dust, and debris that was kicked up by the fallen Reaper had settled for the most part, but in its place, it left a thick layer of brown and gray fog looming in the area. And in the fog, Shepard suddenly made out three figures approaching him, from the direction he and his team had initially come from, after having surfaced from the underground.

"I'm an old Navy man, Commander." Hackett's voice said to him, as he squinted, trying to discern the encroaching shadows. "I like long stories. Start from the top."

"Vorcha..." Shepard thought to himself, though still not fully able to distinguish the figures.

"I'll get back to you sir..." He abruptly replied, before taking his hand away from his ear, and swiftly pulling his pistol off his hip.

"Shepard...? Shepard?" Hackett's voice demanded, falling on deaf ear, as the Commander drew his sidearm forward – aiming it, as it extended in his hands. "Shepard, come in. Do you hear me?"

"Hold it right there!" He yelled out, as he limped forward, with his pistol brandished, and the three silhouettes in his sights.

Just then, a gentle breeze wafted through the air, clearing away some of the fog, as the three shadows slowly became visible.

"It can't be..." Shepard whispered to himself, shaking his head, with a look of utter disbelief etched on his face, as he slowly lowered his pistol.

There before him, slowly limping forward, an orange armored figure emerged from the haze, with two vortigaunts by his side. His armor was bashed, and beaten. And his face was bloodied and lacerated. He held his wounded left arm up, across his abdomen, and his jade eyes looked out, over the top of his destroyed lenses.

"Commander..." He said smiling, despite his pained voice, as he continued limping forward.

"D-Dr. Freeman..." Shepard stuttered in astonishment, holstering his pistol, as he quickly rushed forward.

"But how...?" He questioned, shaking his head and furrowing his brow, as he came up to Gordon - the two stopping face to face. "I thought you..."

"The vortigaunts..." Gordon interjected, interrupting Shepard, as he looked from one side to the other, at the vorts that had been helping him limp along. "They pulled me out... Just like they did right before the Combine Citadel blew..."

A huge grin, from ear to ear, came over Shepard's face, as he shook his head, and chuckled under his breath in jovial amazement. Just then, Gordon turned his attention to the stadium sized leviathan, laying lifeless along the towering canyon wall, at the rear of the vort's village.

Gordon raised his right arm, and nudged the Commander, ushering him to step aside, as he slowly took two limping steps forward, and glared up at the ancient, mechanized horror.

"So it worked..." Gordon said with a relieved smile, as the two men stood side by side, looking on, with the vorts behind them.

"It did." Shepard affirmed.

Gordon closed his eyes, and took a deep, engaged, revelrous breath – completely losing himself in the moment. A chill washed over his body, as his chin and brow seemed to tremble a bit. He slowly exhaled through his mouth, as he hobbled a little to turn himself around.

"Thank you..." He said, almost in tears, as he addressed the vortigaunts. "Thank you, for what you and your people have done..."

One of the vortigaunts walked up to Gordon, shaking his head before he spoke. "It is we who are indebted to The Free Man and his allies..." He said.

"The reckoning of ages has consummated..." The other vort added, as he clasped his hands together, and bowed. "It would not have been so, if not for the hands of the Free Man, the Shepard, and their kin..."

Gordon smiled at the vorts warmly, as a pleasant feeling washed over him. Suddenly, he stumbled backwards a bit, as his legs nearly buckled on him.

"Whoa, easy! Easy!" Shepard exclaimed, as grabbed Gordon by the shoulder, to stabilize him. "You're a mess... Come on, lets get you to Dr. Chakwas at the medical camp."

"Oh, there's no rush. The morphine's working pretty good, now..." Gordon assured, still smiling, in a bit of a drowsy, blissful daze. "I see you took a rather nasty hit too..." He said as he pointed down at Shepard's leg.

"Huh...?" Confused, Shepard raised an eyebrow as he looked down. To his surprise, he spotted a large hole in his leg armor, with dried streaks of blood running out, from the gash underneath. It was placed in his center, right thigh, about eight inches or so above his knee.

"Hmph..." Shepard let out a bit of a surprised grumble, as he examined the hole in his leg for the first time. "I hadn't even noticed... All this time, I thought it was my leg cramping up..."

"Well it looks like we could both use a little treatment..." He declared with a grin, as he nudged Gordon along, and motioned with his head. "Come on."

Their feet scraped against the gravelly dust upon the ground, as they began walking forward – exhausted, enfeebled, wounded, but victorious...

"You know, Commander..." Gordon began again, as the two limped forward, side by side. "I realized you're gonna need a new helmet. So I was thinking, why not take mine? I never use the darn thing... Of course, you might have to do something about the color... I'm not sure orange would suit you..."

"Heh..." Shepard snickered a bit, as he looked over at Gordon, and shook his head with a smile.

"Hehe..."

"Hmhmhmhmhm..." Unable to help himself, he began to titter softly, under his breath, as the two hobbled along.

"Hehehehehehe..." A titter that quickly grew into light laughter. "Hahahahahaha..." Which grew into a jovial chuckle. "Hahahahahaha!" Which grew into a hearty, tumultuous, cackle.

Laughing all the while, Shepard drew a friendly arm around Gordon's shoulders and neck, as if about to put him in a headlock, and the two continued forward – happily staggering along like inebriated drinking buddies.

"Shepard!" A grizzled voice suddenly called out, in the Commander's ear again, barely audible over his own laughter. "Shepard, come in! Do you read me?"

"Heh... Admiral, sir..." Shepard responded, as he brought his right hand to his ear - traces of laughter still evident in his voice, despite his efforts to conceal it. "I apologize. I... Hehe... I was preoccupied."

"Commander... I'm still waiting to hear what exactly happened, that killed an entire fleet of these damn things, without so much as an explosion..." Hackett demanded, assertively.

"Well sir, like I said... It's a long story..."


	43. Chapter 43: Light after Darkness Part I

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 43: Light after Darkness... (Part I)**

Another new day, and the sun rises again. Peeking out over Earthly horizons, it washes away the curtain of night, and blankets all it touches in its warming, renewing luminance.

"This one's secure, Odessa." A worker announced into his helmet's radio, as he finished his inspection. "We're coming back inside."

"Copy that. Airlock is open and waiting."

Several men, no less than fifty, pushed off a black, metallic surface with their feet, and bounced upward – using the small thrusters in their suits to maneuver themselves towards the SSV Odessa overhead.

High above the Earth's atmosphere, hundreds of massive Alliance Tow Freighters speckle the skies - their hulls glinting in the morning light, as their crews worked tirelessly.

Thousands of Alliance servicemen and women, wearing navy blue and white full body suits, worked to fasten cables, bindings, and fasteners from the freighters, to the hulls of the dwindling number of derelict Reapers, littering Earth's orbit.

The tow freighters would first attach themselves using magnetic clamps, similar to the ones used to secure vessels in ports and docking stations throughout the galaxy. Once the initial link up was made, the crews of the various freighters went to work. Using their magnetized boots to tread the surfaces of the lifeless colossi, they securely fastened a multitude of massive, high-tension cables and fasteners for added measure.

"Airlock is secure, and all personnel back on board, Skipper." An officer informed, as he saluted his superior, standing at the fore of the small bridge, no bigger than the size of an average living room.

"The first haul of the day..." The Captain replied, grinning with a forced eagerness, as he squinted and stared toward bright, burning sun, growing over the horizon. "Thank you, Chief. Please get us underway."

"Aye-aye, sir."

The Odessa's massive thruster engines lit up with a blaze of blue light, propelling it forward, from a stationary position. Although the ship itself was less than half the size of the titanic Reaper it was about to haul, the twin rows of the freighter's powerful anti-proton thrusters were more than adequate.

The entire vessel jerked a bit, as the cables and clamps suddenly tightened, and tugged back, with a resonating pound, before the lifeless Reaper began to drift in tow, as it was dragged towards the heart of the Sol System.

"I still don't understand why we have to destroy 'em all..." The Odessa's Chief Officer remarked ambivalently, as the ship streaked through space. "I mean we still don't know anything about these things. What if there's more of 'em out there? It'd be good to know what we're up against if any more ever decided to show up..."

"The order came straight from Hackett himself... " The Captain replied, shrugging his shoulders, as the blazing sun in the window grew larger, causing the window pane to darken, to offset the intense light pouring in. "Supposedly, he's got it on good authority that these things are too dangerous to study, and doesn't wanna take any chances... And since 'technically'... we're still under martial law, what he says, goes..."

"Yeah..." The Chief Officer replied, nodding reluctantly, as the window pane continued to darken like a welder's mask.

"Thermal radiation barriers engaged." The voice of one of the other crew members called out, though mainly for the sake of protocol, as his declaration went ignored, for the most part.

"Besides, I can't say I blame him..." The Captain continued, his voice growing a bit shaky, as the lava-like surface became prevalent in the darkened window. "I had a brother serving on the Warsaw... I'm content just to see these things burn..."

Even from hundreds of thousands of miles away, the surface of the sun was an angry tempest of fiery eruptions. Like a mystic, boiling cauldron, violent bursts of magma, and flame gushed out, in an array of blinding yellows, and searing reds. Its scorching touch pounded against the radiation barriers of the multitude of ships entering and leaving its corona.

"That's close enough." The Captain affirmed with a nod, as he turned to face his small crew. "Disengage locking clamps."

As the freighter drew closer to the cosmic fireball, its speed was reduced, and the wide array of clamps, bindings, and fasteners attached to onyx giant simultaneously released their hold. And as the Odessa stopped, the Reaper continued its drift forward, to be swallowed up by the perpetual flame, and succumb to a fiery grave...

"Alright, another one down..." The Captain announced, with the traces of a sigh in his voice. "Lets get underway for another pickup."

Hundreds upon hundreds of tow freighters enter and leave the sun's blazing proximity, as they deliver their cargo. Slowly, the inanimate Reapers, mere specks of dust when compared to the great star, float into oblivion.

As their bodies began to burn, and melt in the tremendous heat, long before even reaching the surface - the golden flame in their eyes seems to light up one last time... Possibly due to the sun's natural radiation, or maybe it was merely the sunlight reflecting in their optic sensors. Whatever the case, it isn't long before their sinister, golden flame is extinguished forever...

Perhaps a fitting end for such an extraordinary, albeit nefarious race of beings. They always knew their conquests would end in fire... Little did they suspect, they'd be the ones burning in it...

As the Alliance ships continued to do their jobs, purging the slowly diminishing population of Reapers from the planet's orbit – Earth hung tranquilly against a backdrop of twilight, resting peacefully among the stars, as its wounds slowly began to heal.

Down on the surface, in the once vivacious city of White Forest, a city that sparkled, and bustled with activity – the mood now could only be described as solemn...

At the center of the city, in a clearing, at the base of a demolished government building, surrounded by the ruins of towering structures of glass and steel - hundreds, perhaps thousands of denizens gather in front of a small wooden stage. The crowd is comprised of a plethora of creatures. Pretty much every known race in the galaxy is present to some degree or another.

Although it is a gathering of mostly humans, the turians, salarians, and asari are easy to pick out. A great number of krogans and quarians are also present, to respect and honor their dead. There is also no shortage of drell, hanar, volus, or elcor. And even a sparse batarian can picked out from the crowd.

But surprisingly, there is also a large number of vortigaunts blended into the diverse congregation. And more surprising still, are the geth standing among them... Beside them...

The stage before them is rudimentary at best, clearly built specifically for the occasion. It stands at the base of the stairs leading up towards the entrance of the ruined political building, perhaps a legislative hall of some sort. The stage sits adorned with a blue and white skirt and Systems Alliance banners, as a few dozen automated video cameras hovered around, looking on.

On either side of the stage, a countless grid of caskets span off into the distance, each blanketed with a different flag. For most, it is the red, white, and navy blue flag of the Systems Alliance that lies draped over them. Others bear the Citadel flag, or the Quarian flag, or the krogan's... Too many lives to count, and a burden far too heavy to carry, regardless of the standard they bear.

At the center of the stage, a haggard old Admiral, dressed in formal naval attire, waits behind a podium, stacking a deck of index cards neatly in his hands, as a fair haired young woman, at a microphone beside him begins to sing...

"_Amazing grace... how sweet... the sound... that saved... a wretch... like me...! I once... was lost... but now... am found... was blind... but now... I see..." _

Her beautiful voice reverberated far off into the distance, carrying across the crowd with the sultry, silvery guise of an angel's celestial melody.

The crowd was a chorus of whimpers, sighs, and sniffles, as tears flowed, and friends and loved ones embraced each other – trying desperately to find strength and comfort within one another's arms.

The vocalist's eyes began to swell over with fluid, as she sang. A stirring rendition, obviously delivered from the heart...

"_T'was grace... that taught... my heart... to fear... And grace... my fears... relieved...! How pre...cious did... that grace... appear... the hour... I first... believed..." _

Not eve the dauntless Commander Shepard was able to fight back the wrenching knot in his throat, as he stood with his head bowed, at the front of the crowd. Most of his crew stood beside him – heads lowered and hearts heavy. Each exhibiting remorse and lament on their own respective countenances.

"_Through ma... ny dangers... toils... and snares... I have... already come...! 'Tis grace... that brought... me safe... thus far... and grace... will lead... me home..." _

Her melodious voice slowly faded – twin streaks of tears marking her cheeks, as she finished singing.

Admiral Hackett nodded, clenching his lips tightly, and gulping at something in his throat, as his eyes reflected a mournful sorrow.

"Three days..." He began, his voice echoing loudly in the ruined square, from the nearby speakers, as the fair haired vocalist slowly found her way off the stage.

"It was only three short days ago... that we as the people of Earth, came under a brutal attack, and endured deva..." Hackett abruptly stopped mid-sentence, as something suddenly caught his eye. "Devastation..." He finished, breathing a sigh, as he crumpled the index cards in his hands, and discarded them on the podium.

"Ahem. Excuse me..." He began again, after briefly clearing his throat, as he looked out at something waving over the crowd.

"As I stare at our proud Alliance flag, flying half staff for the countless lives that were stolen from us..." He said, as he pointed toward the flagpole, a few yards away. "I can't help myself from also looking at the flag waving underneath it..."

Below the Navy Blue Alliance flag, marked with three stars, a System's Alliance symbol, and two streaks of white and red, slicing across from top left, to bottom right, flew an orange and white flag. The center of the flag was marked with three pine trees, the symbol of the city. The right hand side was marked with a lambda, and the left was marked with the emblem of the Black Mesa Research Facility...

"Standing here before you, I was uh..." Hackett paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts a bit, before eventually continuing.

"I was originally going to say that the devastation we endured... The brutality we saw... The tragedy that we must live with... That it was like nothing we've ever seen before... But I remember..."

"Commemini Mesa Fervus... Commemini Silva Albus... These are the words printed on the flag of White Forest... They serve to remind us of the devastation our planet once endured... The brutality our forefathers once saw... And the tragedy they had to live with... Remember Black Mesa... Remember White Forest... "

"For those unfamiliar with Earth's history..." He continued, with a mournful grin, as he watched a few raised eyebrows, and puzzled expressions in the crowd. "It was nearly two centuries ago that we fell prey to a mysterious alien race known as the Combine. Much like these Reapers... Their conquest was swift, merciless, and calculating... In less than seven hours they left our planet in ruins... Millions dead, and billions enslaved... But like three days ago, we stood against our attackers. Not as humans, but as a free people..."

"It was the vortigaunts who stood united with us then..." The Admiral declared, as he pointed out towards the crowd, at a small cluster of vorts he spotted. "A peace loving race we had long since thought lost on Earth, to the Combine's destructive poisons... But thanks to the perseverance, and diligence of Lieutenant Commander John Shepard, and the discovery of the Xen Relay, in the newly named Lambda Cluster, we found old allies to stand beside us once more... Old allies to whom we all owe a great deal..."

"But we also found new allies!" He exclaimed. "From Thessia they came, and Tuchanka! From the depths of space, on-board a flotilla. From Palaven, and past the Perseus Veil! From the highest mountains, to the deepest seas, across the furthest reaches of the galaxy... They came to defend a planet that was not their own... And for this we thank you..." He graciously bestowed, as he locked eyes with the various races in the crowd.

"I believe it was the vortigaunts who once said it best. There is no distance between us... No false veils of time or space will intercede. "

"And so we must always remember... So that in the wake of devastation, brutality, and tragedy... We may find courage, strength, and comfort... Knowing that we've soldiered on through darkness, but have always found our way back to the light."

"And it is in these hours of darkness now, that we shed tears for the fallen... We mourn the loss of those we care about... Those we love... Noble men and women, of all races of the galaxy, who sacrificed themselves protecting our homes... Our lives... And our very existence... "

"We commute their bodies to the Earth and the stars... We commend their souls to their gods. And we ask that they find peace wherever they may be now... But though they may be gone, we will always remember them. And we will honor them with each passing day... And so it is through these trying time... Through these hours of darkness... That we will soldier on, in search of the light... "

Admiral Hackett took a deep breath, and held his head up high, as he finished, ushering the crowd to begin a somber, somewhat reserved applause. The vortigaunts in the crowd looked around, somewhat confused at this strange, foreign gesture. Although it wasn't too long before they observed the motions of those around them, and began bringing their talon-like hands together, clapping.

Most of Commander Shepard's team stood lining the front row of the sea of life.

Shepard, much like Admiral Hackett, was donned in his navy blue and gold dress uniform. He wore a double breasted jacket, with six gleaming, golden buttons. Each marked with an anchor and an eagle. His chest was an array of colors, as he exhibited his multitude of officer's badges, awards, and decorations. His gold trimmed collar, which bore the insignia of the System's Alliance, came up to his chin. Twin epaulettes, marked with a star, and three golden bands, draped over his shoulders. And his dark blue pants were lined with a golden stripe, running down the side of each leg, down towards his black dress shoes.

Tali stood beside him, and Legion beside her. She wore a black shawl over her shoulders, and a decorative black veil. And contrasting to the bright, lavender mask she usually wore, her current faceplate was a dark shade of gray - although her bright eyes still managed to pierce the dismal color, and glisten from behind it.

Jacob and Miranda stood a few feet down, each wearing matching black, silver, and white Cerberus uniforms. Not all that unlike Shepard's, but nowhere near as decorated. One feature that set Jacob apart, however, was the white sling he wore around his neck, holding his right arm up, and effectively preventing him from applauding.

Garrus, Mordin, Samara, Jack, Thane, and Grunt stood a little further back, intertwined with the crowd, as the brief applause slowly began to die down.

"At this time..." Hackett continued, once the sound of clapping had subsided. "If he'd be willing, I'd like to invite Commander Shepard to come up and say a few words..." The Admiral said as he extended a hand out towards the Commander, in the front row, catching him a little off guard.

"It is, in large part, because of John Shepard that any of us are still here today... Not only is he responsible for saving the Citadel two years ago. But it was through the combined efforts of he and his team, that contact was once again made with the vortigaunt race, after so many years. Together, they managed to fight back an incursion on the vortigaunt's homeworld, and initiated a device, of their design and construction, which is what ultimately proved to be the instrument of our salvation..."

"So, Commander. If you would..." Admiral Hackett insisted, as he waved Shepard up towards the stage.

A nervous look came over the Commander's face, as he clenched his lips, and shrugged his shoulders a bit.

"Be right back..." He uttered to Tali, as he reluctantly limped forward, towards the small wooden staircase leading up to the stage.

"Good luck." Tali replied, in a hushed tone.

As he walked forward, a large, metallic brace, encasing most of his right thigh, over his uniform, became visible to the crowd. It was gray and silver, and it seemed to hum softly, as it displayed a small number of indicator lights and switches along its base. He also had a few sutured gashes running across the left side of his face, and a small, silver, adhesive patch affixed to his right temple.

A slow applause began to stir, starting with a few sparse claps, as the Commander ascended the stage. But it quickly began to grow, as more and more people joined in. Suddenly, it became an excited uproar – a chorus of prideful cheers, hollers, and whistles.

"Shep... ard" "Shep...ard" "Shep...ard" The crowd immediately broke out into a deafening, rhythmic chant, waving their hands over their heads, and pumping their fists into the air, triumphantly. In spite of the devastation. In spite of the tragedy. Their hero was ascending the stage...

"SHEP...ARD!" "SHEP...ARD!" "SHEP...ARD!" The spirited chanting only seemed to intensify as the Commander reached the top of the stage, being greeted by Hackett.

"Thank you, Admiral..." Shepard said graciously, barely audible over the uproar, as the two stopped and shook hands.

"Thank YOU, Commander..." Hackett refuted, shaking his head.

As the two finished their handshake, Admiral Hackett stepped aside, courteously bowing a little, as he pointed a hand towards the podium.

Shepard slowly stepped up towards the podium, limping a little, as his feverish reception continued.

"Please..." His mild voice echoed loudly through the speakers, as he put a hand up, and shook his head slightly, trying to quell the crowd. "Please... That's not necessary... But, thank you..."

The cheering slowly began to subside. Every last person in the crowd, as well as those watching from around the world, eagerly prepared to heed his every word.

"Now we all stand here today, with the burden of loss weighing heavily on us..." He began. "No matter what race... No matter where we come from... This war with the Reapers took something from us all..."

"Captai..." Shepard continued, before abruptly stopping himself. "Councilor... David Anderson once said to me; heroes are but ordinary men, who do extraordinary things, at extraordinary times... But be it men, women, or children... soldiers or heroes... War claims all lives... without prejudice..."

"And that's something that goes for all of us... Not just humans, but everybody... Every race in this galaxy...! Turians, Asari, Salarians... Krogans, Quarians, Vortigaunts... Volus, Drell... Elcor, Hanar, Batarians, Vorcha... even the Geth... We all lost something to this war..."

As the crowd reflected on Shepard's stirring words, they stopped and began to look back and forth at one another, examining each other with an indiscriminate eye.

"Yes, we can rebuild... We can move forward... And as Admiral Hackett so eloquently put it, we can soldier on through darkness, in search of the light. But a lot of what this war took from us... A lot of what ANY war takes from us... can never be replaced..."

"So if there is anything we can learn from this tragic attack... Anything we can keep with us... Let it be this... Let it be that for one, brief, shining moment... there were no grudges... No conflicts of interest... No political agendas... There was only unity against a common threat... Camaraderie against a common foe..."

Before continuing on, Shepard was silent for a moment, as his eyes began to survey the agglomeration of life. First he tried to spot out the diverse members of his team, feeling himself swell up with pride, as he looked at them. Then he began to look at everyone else – observing a rich tapestry of lifeforms, woven together without bias, or intolerance.

"Heh..." The slight chuckle he breathed into the microphone, as he continued, echoed loudly. "You know, as I look out at all the faces before me, I can't help but see things a little differently now..."

"Looking at the vortigaunts..." He said as he pointed towards a few of the vorts near the front. "I see old friends that had long since been forgotten..."

"Looking at humans mixed with turians..." He remarked, pointing towards a few Turian Citadel Fleet officers standing alongside some Alliance Navy men. "I see old grudges that should've long since been abandoned..."

"Looking at krogans standing alongside salarians..." He continued, as he pointed out a few salarians in the crowd, standing beside a pair of hefty krogans. "I see old hatreds that should've long since been laid to rest..."

"And looking at quarians standing together with geth..." He said mildly, as he looked down at Tali, standing shoulder to shoulder with Legion. "I can't help but see new alliances, long since overdue..."

"So yes... this war has taken something from all of us. But in a way, it's also given something back... A chance to let go of the past, and abandon the petty differences that have consumed us for so long... A chance to embrace each other as allies, and learn to prosper and grow with the gifts we can offer one another..."

He paused for a moment, looking out towards the crowd, with a stern, yet pleading look in his eyes.

"Let's not waste it... Let's not waste the ONLY thing this damn war gave back to us, after taking so much... A second chance... A chance at peace..."

When he finished, a slow applause began brewing, which quickly grew into a loud, thunderous ovation, as every last person in the crowd, save for maybe the elcor or the hanar, rapidly pounded their hands together, in a great show of respect, at the Commander's riveting words.

"If I can say one last thing..." The Commander continued, still standing at the podium, as the applause slowly began to fade.

"Now, Admiral Hackett is kind, but he gives me far too much credit..." He said, as he pointed a hand out to his right, towards the Admiral. "I myself am nothing, without my team... And all of us here owe the vortigaunts a tremendous debt of gratitude for all that they've done..."

"But if there's one man here deserving of the credit... One person, to whom we all owe our lives. It is a man who's name is synonymous with humanity's freedom and survival..."

"Hmph..." Shepard chuckled under his breath, and grinned, at the thought of how ridiculous he was probably about to sound. "You know, it's rather ironic that Admiral Hackett brought up the Earth rebellion... Because it was during the rebellion that this man earned such historic titles as The One Free Man... and The Opener of the Way..."

"For those of you that know who I'm talking about... No, I'm not speaking rhetorically... I know it's fairly common knowledge that this legendary hero of the Rebellion was killed nearly two centuries ago. But that wasn't exactly the case...

"And I know how ridiculous this must all sound..." He said with a nervous grin, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But for now, explanations are going to have to wait... At this time, please allow me to introduce to you The One Free Man himself... Dr. Gordon Freeman..."

Shepard pointed a hand out towards the crowd, extending an invitation for Gordon to join him on the stage. A slow, indifferent applause began – one that felt fairly forced, as the crowd looked around at one another, in dumbfounded bewilderment.

Shepard's eyes scanned the crowd, hoping to spot an emerging Gordon, as the apathetic applause slowly dwindled. But to his dismay, he spotted nothing.

"Gordon Freeman...?" A lone, dubious voice uttered from somewhere in the sea of life, amidst a few faint coughs, and the gravelly sound of some throats being cleared.

"Uh... hehe..." The Commander nervously began again, trying to mask the mild embarrassment in his voice, and on his face. "Well anyone who knows Dr. Freeman, knows that he's a man of actions... Not words..."

"Which, in reality, is what this day is all about. Honoring and remembering the actions of those who are no longer with us... And taking the actions necessary to mend the wounds of the past... Because it isn't enough to talk about peace... We have to believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it... We have to work for it... Facta... Non verba... Deeds... Not words... Thank you..."

A moderate, respectful applause began again as the Commander finished once more. He turned to face Admiral Hackett, as he approached. And the two shared another brief handshake, as the bright lights from some of the floating camera's hovering around them flashed repeatedly.

"Where is Dr. Freeman, anyway?" Miranda questioned, looking around as she clapped lightly. "I haven't seen him since we got to Earth..."

"You've really taken a liking to 'em, haven't you?" Jacob said, with a bit of a snicker on his face, as the applauding began to dwindle.

"Well, yes..." Miranda acknowledged, as she turned to face Jacob. "As a professional, of course... He's a valued member of this team, and I respect who he is, and what he's done..."

"Hah, don't give me that!" Jacob scoffed playfully, with a sarcastic chuckle. "I seen the way you look at him. I should know. It's the same look I get everywhere I go..." Jacob grinned arrogantly, as he held his head up high, despite the sling hanging off his neck.

"Oh please..." Miranda sneered, as she rolled her eyes, and shook her head.

"Atten-hut!" The voice of a capped military officer suddenly yelled out, as he lead a small troop of seven uniformed soldiers, onto a flat break in the stone stairway, behind the small stage.

"Hell..." Jacob continued. "I thought for sure you were gonna flat out tackle him, when you saw him walk into camp alive, before Dr. Chakwas started working on him."

"About face!" The officer yelled out, causing his troop to immediately swing themselves around – turning to face the crowd in one swift, concentric, synchronous motion. Each of them was armed with an antiquated, brown, wooden rifle, which they let drop to their right sides, bringing the stock to rest against the floor. Although well cared for, and fully functional, these rifles were completely obsolete by modern standards, serving now as little more than aesthetic weapons.

"W...ell..." Miranda began again reluctantly, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "I was happy to see him."

"Present arms!" The troop immediately hoisted their rifles up, off the ground, and held them out in front of them, in an idle position.

"I wonder where he is though..." Miranda said softly, a bit of despondence and concern reflecting in her eyes.

"Fire!" The officer yelled out, causing the disciplined troop to immediately prime their weapons, and aim them out, at an angle, towards the sky. The thunderous sound of gunfire cracked, as all seven rifles discharged a simultaneous volley.

"Fire!" The order brought fourth a second thundering salvo.

"Fire!"

* * *

Like the thunder heralding a storm, the final volley of a twenty-one gun salute echoed far in the distance, as a lone physicist hobbled along a cobblestone path, up a grassy hill, towards a wrought iron fence enclosure.

He didn't so much walk with a limp, as it was a stagger. Like the tightness, and stiffness one feels after first waking up in the morning, before having a chance to limber up. Of course, for the Doctor, it was an aching stiffness.

He was clothed, once more, in his standard Cerberus uniform. The same one he'd been given when he first found himself in this new reality. A gray, metallic cast, accented in chrome, and exhibiting a plethora of small lights and buttons, encased his left forearm, as it hummed lightly. His forehead was wrapped in a layered belt of white bandages, circumnavigating his head. And where he normally wore a pair of simple, black rimmed glasses, he wore a targeting visor of some sort.

It wasn't by choice, but it would take some time for his usual eye wear to be repaired. After all, spectacles in this day and age can be heard to find, and a man needs to see. Two temple-like hooks hung around his ears, and spanned across his forehead, holding the visor in place. They generated a blue, holographic band of light across his eyes, providing just the right amount of magnification. He almost felt as though he was looking through the eyes of a machine. But even though the various distance readouts, environmental gauges, and targeting systems bothered him now, he could appreciate their combat usefulness.

As he reached the top of the hill, Gordon turned and looked out into the distance, towards the city. In many areas, large clouds of black smoke poured out from the ruined city below. The wreckage of the shattered skyline littered the horizon, and brought a chilling sensation of deja vu surging through Gordon's mind. The only thing missing was a swirling pillar of light, feeding into an angry whirlpool in the heavens... But although the skies were dark and cloudy, much as they were that fateful day a hundred and seventy-nine years ago... Today, the sun's redeeming rays seemed to pierce the dismal cloud cover, and bathed all it touched below, in a renewing, hopeful luminescence...

Gordon grinned a bit, bowed his head, and continued on - finally coming to the tall, stone, archway entrance. The stone was old, and water stained - in many places covered in moss, and vines growing out of the ground. Along either side of the archway, some of the iron bars showed extensive signs of oxidation, below an old, peeling paint job. But, it was not unkempt, for the most part. Most of the fencing seemed to be in good repair. Inside the grass was mowed, and trees flourished. A thick, steel chain hung off the open gate, indicating it was probably locked every night. And up top, across the stone archway, gleaming bronze letters, embossed into the stone read: White Forest Memorial Cemetery.

Gordon took a deep breath, as an icy chill ran down his back, shuddering his entire body. Nodding his head, with his eyes closed, he exhaled slowly, and walked in.

The cobblestone path continued on, weaving through the cemetery, and splitting it into two halves. Gordon looked around at the various rows of stone markers, tombstones, and monuments, marking each individual grave. Much like the pillars supporting the archway out front, most of the gravestones were stained by nearly two centuries of water erosion. Most them were chipped, and crumbling at the edges. Many of the stone crosses, and praying angels were cracked or breaking. But the names on each were still clearly visible, although dried, black streaks bled out from the lettering.

"I don't even know where to begin..." Gordon thought to himself, reading some of the names, as he hobbled along, through the vast burial ground.

Most of the names he didn't recognize, as he passed them.

Jeremy Knowles... Rosalinda Mendez... Timothy Barlow... Linda Hays Goode... Anya Tyjewski... Edgar Rosales... Fredrick McKnight... Boris Dmitriev...

Gordon read the names out in his head, as wandered through the cemetery, treading lightly upon the hollowed soil. Just then, a strange feeling suddenly washed over him. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but it was unusual – like nothing he'd ever felt before. He wasn't sure what it was, but it almost felt like a welcoming sensation... Almost as if those laying peacefully around him, were happy to see him again, as a caressing breeze blew past him, and floated into the trees. That's when he noticed two names that suddenly popped out at him...

Here lies Randall "Sheckley" Shackleton – In our hearts. In our memories. Always

In loving memory of Gregory "Griggs" Rollins – Cherished Husband and Loving Brother...

"Heh..." Gordon let out a mournful chuckle, as he stopped and looked at the two headstones. He released a slight, pained groan as he crouched down before them for a better look.

"Be adequate..." He uttered in a whisper, looking at the two stone slabs, as he reminisced.

"Hey... You see a bug on me, how 'bout you try to get it off me next time...?"

"I didn't see it!"

"Oh yeah... sure... They're only life five feet tall..."

"Yeah, that's how it's done! I got... TEN!"

"Well we all got ten... There's hundreds of 'em!"

Gordon laid his uninjured hand over the top of the right headstone, as he grinned sorrowfully. "Thank you guys..."

Just then, he noticed something through the gap between the two gravestones, as a bright wave of sunshine cascaded down, through the clouds. Further back, in a shaded area, towards the middle of the cemetery, there was a tall monument, standing about nine feet in height, with a row of three headstones lining either side of it.

Gordon stood up to get a better look. The monument was a tall column, with a large, manhole sized, encircled, lambda symbol resting on the top, like the hood ornament on a car. With a narrow gaze, and a nervousness in the pit of his stomach, Gordon walked around the two headstones before him, towards the beguiling monument.

Gordon hadn't even noticed it, but the small arrangement of graves rested cozily in the center of the cemetery. Behind the monument and resting places, were three willow trees. Their dangling leaves hung above the graves, sheltering those that rested below them, in their embrace, and blanketing the area in soft shade.

Gordon pushed a few of the drooping, green, branches aside as he stepped in. The stone molded lambda symbol, atop the beige, marble column, stood just above his head, as he came up to it. He looked down at the three gravestones to the right, reading the epitaphs to himself, as he slowly walked across them.

"Here lies Dr. Judith Mossman..." He whispered to himself. "For thee we need not weep, since now art thou among the blest... No more by sin or sorrow pressed... But hushed in quiet sleep..."

"Rest in peace Dr. Mossman..." He uttered with a sigh. "It was good to have you back on our side." He said, before taking another step forward.

"In Memorium, Dr. Arne Magnusson..." He read out, as he came to the second headstone. "Remember not his bitter ways. His human faults now cease. Remember only the life that was. His comfort, sweetness, and peace..." Gordon tittered a bit, with a smile as he read the words. "Rest in peace, Dr. Magnusson..."

"...Barney..." Gordon abruptly said to himself, as he looked towards the third, and final gravestone on this side.

"In loving memory of Captain Bernard "Barney" Calhoun..." He read in a voice that started to quiver, as he walked up to the stone. "His toils are past. His work is done. And he is fully blessed... He fought the fight, and victory won, and entered into..." Gordon paused for a moment, as a knot swelled up in his throat. "into rest..."

Gordon crouched down before the stone slab, as he reached his right hand out, and pressed it against the etched wording. "We never did get to share that beer, did we...?" He asked, shaking his head, with a forlorn grin. "Good bye my friend..."

Gordon hung his head down in silence, as he stood, crouched down before the stone, for a few moments.

"Some other life, perhaps..." He eventually uttered, swallowing at the ball in his throat, as he stood back up.

Gordon reluctantly turned, and walked back towards the marble monument, and to the other three gravestones, on the other side.

"Dr. Kleiner..." He whispered to himself, as he passed the tall column, and looked down at the first headstone - stopping in front of it, with a mournful countenance in his eyes, he began to read.

"A precious one from us has gone. A life now torn away... But rest he now, until we meet, on that red letter day... Heh..." He couldn't help himself from letting out a grief stricken chuckle, as he read it.

At that moment, he glanced over towards the neighboring headstone. The one in the middle of the three. He gasped a bit when he saw it. A stirring uneasiness settled into the pit of his stomach, and a chill rattled his teeth, as he came before it.

"Forever in Cherished Memory... Alyx Vance..." He read aloud, in a gasping breath, as his eyes glazed over. As if no longer being able to hold himself up right, he collapsed down onto his knees right then and there. "A lovely flower that bloomed in darkness, to warm and cheer our hearts... Blessed is her intrepid spirit, that from us now departs..."

"Alyx..." He said with a sigh, as twin teardrops rolled down his cheeks, from behind his holographic visor. "I knew it was true... Of course I knew... But part of me didn't want to believe it... Not you..."

As he knelt there, he glanced to his left – towards the final headstone, in the willow covered shrine.

In Loving Memory of Dr. Eli Vance. Goodbye old friend. Since you are gone, where will we find another? With all the qualities you possess of father, guide, and brother...

He huddled down on his knees, resting his palms flat on his thighs, with his head hung low, over his chest.

"Forgive me..." He said with a sniffle, in a soft, melancholy tone. "Forgive me for not being there... For any of you..."

Gordon's right hand passed straight through his holographic lenses, as he raised it, and placed it across his eyes. He simply sat there for a moment, hunkered down on his knees, with his tears condensing into his palm, as he brooded over events long since past, yet so fresh in his mind. It may have been some of the Earth's darkest hours, but for him, he had unwittingly found something special...

"There's nothing Gordon can't handle. With the... possible exception of you..."

"Dad, please..."

"We haven't known each other for very long, but I know you didn't have to do this... I had to rescue my father but you... well... Thanks for coming after me..."

"Go on across Gordon, she's waitin' for you. You lucky dog you..."

"Come on, Gordon. Next to me..."

"And look at you, son! I knew if you both stayed together, you could get through anything!"

"Yeah... we make a pretty good team."

"Well, that's good because well... Now that the... suppression field is down... We all have to do our... part..."

"Dad...!"

"Can you blame an old man for wanting grand kids...?"

"I'm sorry..." Gordon uttered under his breath, as he shook his head. He slowly removed his hand from his face, and looked up, starring back and forth between the two headstones on either end.

"Dr. Kleiner... Dr. Vance..." He began in a soft, shaky voice. "I hope you knew that you were more than just mentors to me...You were as... as dearest friends and... family as I could've ever hoped for..."

"And Alyx..." He whispered, as he fought back the knot in his throat. "I hope you knew that I always cared about you... Always... I just..." Gordon exhaled a heavy breath, as he stopped and rubbed his eyes, wiping away his tears as he pinched his sockets, towards the bridge of his nose.

"I just never had the words..." He continued, as he looked up at her name. "Even now, I... I...I don't know, I just never knew what to say... And I was always so afraid, that I could never even bring myself to say two words to you... But you were the first person I ever truly cared about..."

"I hope you knew that..." Gordon bowed his head, as he knelt there, with his hands on his thighs, in pensive silence.

Thin beams of sunlight, filtered out by the trees, shone on him as he sat there for a few minutes. The willow leaves danced on a gentle breeze, that wafted through, as a playful pair of singing mocking birds chased each other around the branches.

Through his turmoil, Gordon felt somewhat at peace here. Almost as if he could simply lie down upon the soil, and drift off into tranquil sleep.

"It was a mistake to have never told you how I truly felt about you..." He uttered, with his eyes closed, and his head still bowed. "Part of me wishes I could go back..."

Suddenly, Gordon opened his eyes and raised his head. He looked around at the gravestones before him, at the tall, marble column beside him, and up at the bright rays of light, bleeding in through the dark mesh of the trees around him.

"Part of me..." He uttered again, as he came to a realization. Just then, his mind inadvertently flourished with the thoughts of another person he had recently come to care about.

Gordon stopped, and looked back down at the gravestone before him for a moment – sighing as he began once more.

"You were always the stronger one, Alyx... I miss you... And I'll never forget you..." He said, shaking his head, as he looked around at the row of markers before him. "Any of you... I promise..."

Gordon slowly propped himself up, and carefully drew one of his legs forward. Planting one foot firmly on the grass, he let out a slight, pained groan, as he pushed against his knee, and rose off the ground.

Gordon took one step forward, towards the granite slab in front of him. He softly kissed the tips of his fingers, and laid them down over the top of Alyx's headstone.

"Good bye... my love..."


	44. Chapter 44: Light after Darkness Part II

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction**Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

**Chapter 44: Light after Darkness... (Part II)**

"I can hardly believe it either, but it's true!" Tali exclaimed, as she and Shepard walked together, with their arms around each other's backs. "The Admiralty Board and the geth are convening later tonight, on-board the Flotilla, for the treaty signing..."

The Commander walked with a bit of a limp, as Tali helped him along, holding him closely. He had loosened his dress uniform's collar a bit, and unbuttoned his formal jacket – allowing it to freely flap in the breeze. They walked together, down a long runway, towards the distant Normandy, on an airfield behind the ruins of the EVIS.

The airfield was buzzing with activity, as hundreds of ships of multiple origins lined the various runways. Sparks rained down in flurries, as machinery and repair crews worked diligently all around, trying to bring the vast array of vessels back to working order. Everything from small manned fighter ships, to larger frigates and cruisers.

The Normandy's gleaming, silver, form sat in an open space between a badly damaged Alliance Cruiser, and a small Turian Gunship, exhibiting little more than cosmetic scarring. Three mechanics, wearing Alliance jumpsuits, worked a large, mechanized platform, as they examined the newly repaired starboard engines, and stabilizers, while similarly dressed personnel stood by on the ground below.

"No geth has ever set foot aboard the Flotilla, but if the signing goes well, we'll even be able to start recolonizing Rannoch!" Tali exclaimed happily, exhibiting all the excitement of a child in an amusement park, as they continued along. "I know it'll be hundreds of years before we can adapt again, but this means so much for my people!"

"Hehehe..." Shepard chuckled cheerfully, at Tali's exuberance. "Well, peace is being made... The Reapers are dead... The vorts have been accepted by the rest of the galactic races... And the Citadel Fleet has taken the remaining vorcha into custody... Even though they don't remember a thing since being indoctrinated..."

"But not bad, all things considered..." He declared with a grin, as they walked. "I'd say our job here is pretty much done..."

"Don't you wanna stay and help with the relief effort?" Tali questioned, a bit surprised, as she turned to look up at Shepard.

"Tali..." He began with an exaggerated sigh. "Any other time I'd say yes... But after what this crew has been through, I think they deserve a nice... long... vacation..."

"All on the Cerberus account..." He said with a snicker, as he looked down at her with a smile, and squeezed her tightly. "I'm thinking the five star resorts, and sandy beaches of Lycuna..." He slowly waved an extended hand out in front of him, painting an imaginary picture for her, as he envisioned it.

"We could take one of those luxury Star Cruises!" Tali offered, the excitement in her voice returning, as they approached the Normandy. "Waited on hand and foot, twenty-four hours a day, as we drift aimlessly through the stars..."

"Plus, I hear they're very romantic..." She said in a lighthearted voice, as she squeezed Shepard's arm, and rested her head against his shoulder, bringing a big smile to his face.

The ship's hangar bay door hung open, with its ramp extended down towards the ground. Ever the responsible second in command, Miranda was already waiting at the ship. She stood on the ground, at the base of the ramp, looking down at a datapad in her hand – nodding, as she conversed with one of the servicing mechanics.

A few feet away from her, a young, pregnant woman, in her late twenties, to early thirties, waited timidly in the shade of the Normandy's massive fuselage. Her skin was rosy, and her cherry red hair was curled up into a bun, sitting on top of her head. She had a slender figure, clearly visible even despite the large, rounded bulge that hung off her belly, where she carried her unborn. She wore a dark gray breasted, long black dress, with long, dark gray sleeves. And at her feet, rested a large, metallic case of some sort, about the size of a foot locker.

"Commander." Miranda called out, diverting her attention away from the mechanic for a moment, as he and Tali walked towards the ramp.

"This woman wanted to speak to you." She informed, as she turned and pointed a hand towards the gingerly young lady. "I told her she could wait until you arrived."

Shepard glanced over in her direction, as Miranda pointed her out. She looked up at him, although bashfully trying to keep her eyes down, so it wouldn't be obvious that she had noticed him. There was an apprehensive expression on her face, reflecting a mixture of reluctance, and sorrow, as she held her clasped hands together, over her rounded belly.

"Okay. Thank you, Miranda." Shepard acknowledged with a nod, giving Miranda license to go back to her discussion and duties.

"I'll see you inside." He said, as he turned to Tali, pulling her closely, and giving her a quick peck on the side of her faceplate, before letting her go. Tali nodded, as she briefly caressed his shoulder, before proceeding up the ramp, into the hangar bay.

"Miss...?" Shepard called out, as he approached the timid woman. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes, Commander..." She affirmed, in a soft, reserved tone of voice, as she turned to face him – although still reluctant to make eye contact.

"M-My name is Vera Verner..." She began. "You don't know me, but you knew my husband..."

"Your husband?" Shepard furrowed his brow a bit, as the surname suddenly rang a bell. "Verner... Verner..." He said to himself, as he tried to place the name.

"Conrad Verner?"

"Yes..." Vera replied, as she bowed her head.

"What do you mean 'knew'...?" The Commander questioned in a placid tone, despite being fairly sure of what she meant.

Without placating him with a verbal response, the young woman simply looked up at him, with a countenance of painful sorrow and lament, as tears welled up in her eyes, and her chin, and lips began to quiver.

"I'm so terribly sorry for your loss..." Shepard said in a hushed voice, trying to offer comfort to the grieving widow, as a feeling of remorse came over him, and his expression.

She sniffled, and nodded, as she wiped the tears away from her cheeks with her fingertips.

"He wanted to volunteer at one of Alliance Outposts, before the attack came..." She continued, in a trembling voice. "I begged him not to go... And for once he listened to me... We went to St. Abraham's. An old hospital just outside White Forest. The news said it was a safe house..." Her voice began tremble, and her chin began to quiver, as her eyes glazed over once more...

"I'm sorry..." She uttered, as she looked away, and clenched her eyes, forcing a stream of tears to come pouring out.

"No, please... It's okay..." The Commander absolved, as placed a hand on her back, hoping to give her an ounce of comfort.

Vera wiped the tears off her face, with her palm, before she turned back to face him. Her eyes were still glossy, and red, as she fought desperately to hold back further tears.

"We were in the basement when those... THINGS... attacked..." She continued, bowing, and shaking her head. "All I really remember are fires, and a bright red light, as the ceiling started caving in on top of us... We ran for the stairs, and managed to make it out... But a lot of people didn't..."

"When we got outside, we could still hear people screaming down below..." She said, sneering her face, at the thought of the horrific memory, as Shepard listened intently. "I remember he turned to me and said... 'I gotta help them, Vera! I gotta do it!'... And that's when he ran back inside..."

"I see..." Commander Shepard replied, in a hushed tone, as he suddenly understood.

"But he came back out!" Vera exclaimed, a proud, but mournful expression on her face. "He came out of the smoke carrying two little girls... Sisters..."

Shepard's eyes opened wide in stunned amazement.

"But there were still people inside..." She continued, shaking her head, with a bit of resentment. "I begged him not to go back in... But he went in anyway... And again he came back out! This time, with a woman and her dog... HER DOG!" She yelled out, showing both anger, and sorrow...

The Commander clenched his lips, and nodded, as he continued to listen.

"After he came out the second time, he could still hear a woman screaming below. But the building was collapsing... I begged him not to go again... I begged him! But he said he had to... That if it were me in there, he couldn't live with himself. And he couldn't just leave somebody to die, without trying to save them... So he ran in again..."

She said in sobbing voice, as she clenched her eyes shut, and began to weep uncontrollably.

"But he never came back out..." Shepard finished for her.

With her head bowed, she simply shook her head, and continued to whimper and sob softly, as her tears began dotting the floor.

"I'm so sorry..." He offered, gently rubbing her back, wishing he could some how grant her the comfort she so desperately needed.

After a few moments, she looked up at him – her eyes red, and glazed over with fluid, and the tracks of her tears marking her cheeks.

"I know why he did it, Commander..." She said in a whimpering voice. "Because everything he did... All he ever wanted to be, was like you..."

Shepard bowed his head, as he remembered his encounters with the ambitious, but somewhat overzealous Conrad.

"He adored you, Commander..." Vera continued, as she slowly calmed down. "When I heard your speech today, I decided to come and tell you what happened... I think he would have wanted you to know that... That he died a hero..."

"A true hero..." Shepard affirmed, as a knot crept into his throat. "And he'll be remembered as one..."

"I also came to give you this..." She said, as she looked down at the metallic case at her feet, and started to bend over.

"No no! Please..." Shepard urged abruptly, putting his hand up to stop the pregnant woman from bending down. "Allow me..."

He crouched down, unlatched the two metal locks, and pulled open the lid. Shepard's eyes opened wide for a moment, when he saw the contents of the box.

There inside, snugly placed amidst a bed of custom fitted foam insulation, was a full set of N7 Special Forces armor. Boots, leg plates, chest piece, gauntlets, shoulder pads, helmet... Everything. Right down to the red stripe, and insignia. Although each piece showed a few signs of wear and tear; dings, scratches, and the occasional dent – it was very well cared for. The polished armor gleamed, and was smooth to the touch, from multiple coats of wax.

As Shepard studied it, he remembered the last time he bumped into Conrad, when he saw him wearing it. It was at the Eternity Lounge, on Illium. Sure, he was rubbing a few people the wrong way, and grating on the nerves of one quick tempered asari bartender – but in his own foolish way, he was trying to do good.

"It was his most cherished possession..." Vera said. "I found it when I went back to our apartment, yesterday... Ironically, one of the few buildings in the city still standing... Heh..." She let out a small, grief stricken laugh... "I think he would've wanted you to have it..."

"It works, it's completely authentic..." She explained, as Shepard stood up, although still looking down into the box. "Believe me, I know... He practically spent our entire life savings to buy the thing..."

With his hands on his hips, the Commander stared down at the armor, biting down on his clenched lips, as he breathed a long, drawn out sigh through his nose. He was touched beyond words by the gesture.

With a humbled look in his eyes, he glanced up at the young woman, unsure what to say. Just then, his focus came down to the unborn she carried in her stomach.

"Conrad's child...?" Shepard questioned placidly, as nodded towards her belly, before looking back up at her.

"Oh..." Vera uttered, as she looked down and placed her hands over it. "Yes..." She replied, smiling warmly, as she softly caressed the developing infant. "It's a boy... I'm due in five weeks..."

"It's the only reason Conrad finally stopped gallivanting across the galaxy, pretending to be you..." She said with a titter and a sniffle, as she looked at Shepard with tears in her eyes, and a smile on her face. "We were finally going to settle down..."

Shepard stood silently for a moment, as he looked back down at the armor.

"I think you should keep this..." He suggested, as he looked up at the grieving widow.

"If your son inherits any of his father's heroic nature... And it's a good bet that he will... Then he may need it someday..." Shepard affirmed, gently nodding, with his hands on his hips.

"Who knows, I may even be recommending him to the N7 Academy someday..." He said with a grin, as she shrugged his shoulders, causing Vera to chuckle a bit, under her breath. "And if nothing else... It'll be a cherished memento he can proudly remember his father by..."

"I suppose, I hadn't thought of it that way..." She said humbly, with a bowed head. "Thank you, Commander..." She smiled as she looked up at him.

"I should probably get outta your hair, though... I'm sure you're very busy, and those two look like they've been waiting to talk to you for a while..."

Shepard turned around, as Vera motioned with her head at someone behind him. A few feet away, on the opposite side of the ramp, a bald headed woman covered in tattoos, and a drell, wearing a metallic cast around his lower left leg, much like Shepard's own, sat huddled close together, on a long, metal crate - laughing and conversing with each other, as they waited.

"Oh..." He uttered, before turning back around. "Well, do you have somewhere I can take this for you...? A vehicle?"

"No, I came by RT cab..." She refuted politely. "But thank you, Commander. I can manage, it's not as heavy as it looks."

"Well the least I can do is order a cab for you..." Shepard affirmed, as he brought up his omni-tool, and started punching in a few holographic keys.

Once he finished, he looked up towards the sky, waiting for one of the few cars passing by in the streams overhead to descend on their position. Normally, the skies were a bustling network of aerial traffic, but right now only a few sparse vehicles took to the air. Just then, one dropped down, out of the lanes, and slowly hovered down towards them.

As it reached the ground, a few feet away, its door swung open, upwards. Before giving her a chance to do so herself, Shepard bent down, closed the lid on Vera's metallic case, and securely snapped the locking clamps back down. He took hold of the two handles on the side, and stood back up, with case in hand.

N7 armor is designed to be light weight, for maximum mobility. But although it may not weigh what most would expect to it, just by looking at it – it still was a rather hefty box. It surprised him that she carried this with her, all the way. Shepard lugged it over to cab, and slid it into the rear compartment. That's when he noticed the two wheels on the bottom edge of the case.

"Thank you, Commander..." She said, smiling warmly at him, as she carefully climbed in. "I appreciate your help..."

"It's my pleasure, Miss Verner..." The Commander acknowledged respectfully. "And you have my sincerest condolences... Again, I can't tell you how sorry I am, for your loss..."

"I miss him..." She whispered. "But I couldn't be prouder of him... Good bye, Commander..." She looked up at Shepard, and smiled, as the cab door came down, and sealed shut.

Shepard took a step back, waving through the window, as cab slowly lifted off the ground, and reascended into traffic.

The Commander shook his bowed head mournfully, as he turned around, with his hands on his hips, and walked back towards the ship's ramp.

"Hey, Jack... Thane..." He called out, as he approached the couple, still sitting amorously together, on the long, hefty crate. "It's good to see the two of you in pleasant company..." He assured, snickering with a grin, as he saw Thane's arm hanging around Jack's shoulder.

"Arashu has been good to me, Shepard..." Thane affirmed, happily. "What more can I say?"

"I just discovered I got a thing for frog legs..." Jack scoffed playfully, as she caressed the back of Thane's head.

"Heh..." Shepard chuckled, happy to see the newfound couple. "Well, I'm glad. And I think we're just about ready to head out..." He said, looking up towards Miranda, who was now standing at the top of the ramp, still going over her datapad.

"Actually, Commander..." Thane began reluctantly, as he and Jack stood up, causing Shepard to turn back. "That's what we wished to talk to you about. We're not coming with you..."

The Commander raised his eyebrows, a bit surprised by the news, as he listened.

"The Reapers are defeated... Our mission is complete... And I think this is a good place for the both of us to start over..." Thane said, as he looked at Jack.

"Yeah, we decided to stay and help with the rebuilding..." Jack added. "Hehe, I mean what better way to start rebuilding a shit pile of a life, than by rebuilding a shit pile of a planet..."

"Hmhmhmhm..." There was a moment of awkward laughter, as the three of them chuckled for a moment.

"Well, it won't be the same without you two..." Shepard assured, crossing his arms. "Especially you, Jack..." He said with a smile. "But thank you... For everything..."

Shepard stepped forward, and extended a hand towards Thane. Thane reciprocated, and the two shared a firm handshake. "It was an honor, Commander..."

Shepard nodded, as they released hands, before he turned to Jack, and extended it once more. "Jack..."

Jack looked down at Shepard's hand.

"Ooh..." She griped a bit, with a scowl on her face, as she debated with herself about something.

Without warning, she suddenly lunged forward, past his extended hand, and threw her arms around Shepard. "Thank you, Shepard..." She whispered, as she hugged him, and gave him a peck on the cheek.

After a very brief embrace, she released him, clearing her throat, as she backed away. "And if you ever tell anyone I did that, I'll tear you in half!"

"Hehehehe..." Shepard laughed. "I'll miss you, Jack... Take care of yourselves..."

"Farewell, Commander..." Thane said in a soft voice, as they turned around to walk away.

"Hey, cheerleader!" Jack yelled out, turning her head up towards Miranda.

Surprised a bit by her name being called, Miranda diverted her attention from the datapad, and looked down at Jack.

"See ya around..." Jack shouted, in an amicable show of peace.

"Take care, Jack..." Miranda requited.

Commander Shepard stepped onto the ramp, and walked up, - releasing a long sigh, as Thane and Jack slowly walked away, into the distance.

"How we doin', Miranda?" Shepard queried, as he reached the top of the ramp, where she stood in the hangar bay.

"Ship is fully fueled, and all repairs are complete, Commander." Miranda answered, presenting him with a stoic salute.

"Good... Then lets get underway." Shepard ordered, as he started walking into the hangar bay.

"Wait." Miranda abruptly replied, causing the Commander to turn, and look at her. "Dr. Freeman isn't on-board yet..."

Shepard looked at her for a moment, observing her apprehensive countenance. She shrugged her shoulders a bit, with a dubious grin, trying to mask her true feelings, but he had already recognized them all too well...

He turned turned towards the ramp, and took a few steps forward, gazing out at the airfield. Alliance crews continued to work around the clock, hauling massive components, and towing entire ships across the runways, as dusk slowly began to set in.

He breathed a quick sigh, as he brought his hand up to his ear. "Dr. Freeman, do you copy?"

He pulled his fingers away, as he waited for a response. But the only one he got, was from the mocking crackle of static.

"Dr. Freeman...?" He tried again, to no avail.

Shaking his head, he turned back around. "I don't think he's coming, Miranda..." Shepard affirmed, with a disappointed shrug of his shoulders. "He's earned his rest..."

Miranda bowed, and nodded her head, as she unknowingly embraced the datapad, and clutched it tightly, to her heart. She turned around, and despondently walked in to the hangar bay, as Shepard took a few steps towards the ramp control.

With a quick sigh, he pressed a switch, causing the ramp to slowly retract. No sooner had he pressed it, than a voice unexpectedly chimed in his ear.

"Yeah, I'm on my way!" Gordon responded, causing Shepard to immediately switch off the closing ramp, with a grin. "Sorry I'm so late, there were some old friends I had to visit..."

Shepard looked out, as a lone RT Cab began its slow descent, outside. The humming sound of the cab made Miranda turn around, and her eyes lit up as she watched it land, outside.

Shepard slowly walked down towards the ledge of the ramp, which had been lifted about two feet from the ground, as Gordon swept his omni-tool across the cab's dashboard terminal.

"Thank you..." A monotonous voice, from the cab, graciously expressed, as Gordon stepped out. "Have a nice day..."

Gordon looked up at Shepard, who stood on the edge of the ramp, grinning with his arms akimbo on his hips. Gordon reciprocated a slight smile, as he walked forward.

Shepard extended his right arm down towards Gordon, as he reached the ramp, who reached up, and grabbed it in turn.

"Commander..." Gordon said cheerfully, as he placed a foot up on the ledge of the ramp.

Both of them groaned a little from their injuries, like elderly men, as Shepard reeled his arm back, and helped Gordon pull himself up.

"Hello, Dr. Freeman..." Shepard greeted genially, as the two shook their already clutched hands. "Glad you decided to join us."

"Glad to be here, Commander." Gordon assured, with a firm nod and a big grin. "Where I belong..."

Just then, as the two released hands - Gordon turned and looked into the hangar bay, spotting black haired, soft skinned, voluptuous figured Cerberus Operative, staring back at him with a gleeful, yet somewhat reserved smile.

"You know, you sorta left me high and dry on a speech I gave earlier..." Shepard remarked, feigning annoyance, as they walked up the ramp, into the hangar bay.

"Did I...?" Gordon replied obviously, his eyes fixated on Miranda's as he walked towards her. "That's good..."

Shepard grinned as he immediately took note of the two gravitating towards each other like oppositely charged magnets.

"Heh... Yeah, and we're about to set a course straight into a red giant!" He exclaimed jokingly, as Gordon continued forward.

"Looking forward to it..." Gordon replied, completely heedless.

Shepard chuckled, as he pressed his fist against the ramp switch again, causing it start retracting once more.

"Hello, Dr. Freeman..." Miranda said mildly, as Gordon slowly walked up to her. "I'm happy to see you again."

"Ms. Laws... Miranda..." Gordon stuttered, as he began nervously. "I've recently come to uh... W-What I mean to say is... I don't want to make the same mistake twice... N-N-Not that I mean you're a mistake..."

Miranda laughed a bit, as a flattered smile came over her expression at how hard he was trying.

"But, what I'm trying to say is... I... For you... And... Argh, I've never been good with words!" Gordon griped, as he tilted his head back, and rolled his eyes.

"Gordon." Miranda asserted, as she grabbed the front lining of his shirt collar, and looked him square in the eye with an alluring gaze. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much...?"

"Uh... No. Quite on the contrary, people used to tell me that I... mmm..." The babbling physicist was abruptly silenced as Miranda pulled against his shirt, reeling him in, as she pressed her lips firmly against his. Miranda draped her arms around Gordon's shoulders, as he wrapped his around her waist, and the two simply submitted to a tender, passionate kiss.

A loud thud resounded through the hangar bay, as the ramp door locked and sealed. Shepard smiled as he saw his two impassioned crew members, lost in love's embrace, before turning away, towards a nearby terminal.

"EDI" He called out, summoning her blue, holographic form from the terminal. "We're all set. Take us out..."

"Yes, Commander." EDI acknowledged, before her visage quickly dissipated.

"Jeff, I assure you I am perfectly capable of piloting the ship in your absence..." EDI insisted, from her place on the bridge. "You require rest to recuperate..."

"Nah, nah, nah... I'm fine, EDI." Joker assured through his teeth, as waved a hand out in front of him, and started manipulating his controls.

There was a thick, metallic brace around his neck, attached to two metallic supports draped across his shoulders, holding his neck, and head firmly in place.

"Besides... someone's gotta make sure those Alliance boys didn't hurt my baby..."

The entire ship vibrated, as the powerful hum of the Normandy's propulsion system was brought online, and quickly began to escalate.

"Drive core powering up... Operating at optimum capacity." Joker said to himself, as he checked various systems, and worked his controls for take-off. "Stabilizers working... Engines one, two, three and... four active. Mass effect field generators online... Fuel tanks full... All compartments sealed... Board is green... And all systems are go!"

Four brilliant flares of blue light burned inside the Normandy's thruster engines, as it slowly pulled off the ground. Its landing struts retracted into its hull, as it slowly began to drift up into the air – the flicker in its afterburners steadily growing brighter, and brighter.

"We're off this rock!"

A blinding, cerulean blaze erupted from the Normandy's engines, as Joker slid the throttle up. A powerful thrust, and the Normandy shot forward, with an incredible burst of acceleration, towards the gray blanket of clouds – piercing it, and dragging a soft, white streak with her, as she broke atmo, and streaked out into the stars.

And so it was... A day came, when crimson lightning split the skies, roaring thunder shook the Earth, and blazes of fire and steel rained down from the heavens. A day when those that nearly wrought forth the annihilation of life itself, were defeated by two mortal men, who stood united by a common goal. Ordinary men, nothing more, who would answer the call to become heroes... But forever rise into the annals of legend...

THE E...

* * *

INCOMING TRANSMISSION

The words flashed on the holographic screen of a terminal, in a dark room.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION

The room was large, but fairly empty. The only light, was the brilliant blue hue, spilling in through the large, panoramic windows, from the fiery star dwarf outside. The spotless, metal floors gleamed in the luminance, refracting the light perfectly, like a mirror. And at the window, a steely eyed man, in an expensive suit, stood facing out, with a cigarette in one hand, and a datapad in the other.

"Idealistic fools." He remarked sarcastically, with a grin, as he exhaled a puff of smoke. "They actually pulled it off..."

"And they didn't even need to use this one..." He said, looking down at the datapad in his hand.

Just then, the beeping from his terminal, notifying him of an incoming comm, caught his attention. He turned away from the window, and walked back towards his seat in the center of the dark room. He passed straight through his holographic screen, and turned to sit down, as pressed a button on his arm rest.

A flurry of static flashed before him, before materializing into the visage of a man, wearing a black Ceberus uniform, accented in white. He was in his early, to mid thirties. He had light brown hair, thinned out from a buzz cut, bronzed skin, and a deep, old scar, running straight down his right cheek.

"Illusive man...!" The operative abruptly acknowledged, stoically presenting a salute.

"Agent Three Forty..." The Illusive man began, as he shook the excess ash off his cigarette, into his armrest ash tray. "Was your crew successful in retrieving the package?"

"We're retrieving it now, sir..." The operative affirmed, as he placed his hands behind his back. "But are you sure you want us to go through with this?"

"Of course..." The Illusive Man answered confidently, without qualm. "I thought I already made my intentions perfectly clear to you, Agent Three Forty... Think of what this could mean for Cerberus... For humanity...!"

"Understood, sir!" The agent acknowledged obediently. "Will continue with retrieval as planned! Agent Three Forty, out!"

The image buzzed into a crackle of static, before fading away into nothingness. The Illusive Man's gleaming blue eyes pierced the darkness, as he brought his cigarette to his mouth, and inhaled. The embers on the end of his cigarette lit up, painting his face in a dim, orange glow, before he pulled his cigarette away, and blew a concentrated stream of smoke out through his mouth.

As the cloud of smoke began to encircle his head, he lifted his opposite hand back up, the one still clutching the datapad tightly, and looked down at the dossier once more:

SHEPHARD, A. CORPORAL

SUBJECT SHEPHARD AWAITING REACTIVATION.

ON STANDBY AT SONARA ALPHA CONTAINMENT FACILITY

"I might still be able to find some use for you yet..."

**[:::Connection Lost. Data feed has been terminated until further notice. Goodbye.:::]**

* * *

_Author's Special Request: And so ends SλLVλTION. My epic "What if" tale. I tried to do both games as much justice as I possibly could, and portray their respective heroes as the legends they were meant to be. Games I adore... At this time, I'd like to request, that anyone who's been following this story, please leave me a comment or a review. Be it praising, or damning, just please let me know what you thought..._


	45. A Word From the Author

**A Word From the Author...**

Hello ladies and gentlemen. I know it's been quite a while since I've finished writing my story, Salvation. And the first thing I want to say is thank you, to all of you who have followed my story. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading, as much as I have enjoyed writing.

When I started writing Salvation, I wanted to write an epic tale, that intertwined the paths of two legendary heroes of gaming, letting them join forces to defeat the most ruthless force in the galaxy. I adore both Half-Life and Mass Effect. No other games have ever made me care about the characters so much. About their plight, and about those around them.

I wanted to write a story that would be, I suppose, my own variant to Half-Life 3 and/or Mass Effect 3. A story that brought finality to both these characters worlds, and allowed them the prospect of getting some sense of normality back in their chaotic lives, after the grueling, heart wrenching struggle they've each been through. And I hope I've successfully done that.

I wanted to incorporate various elements of both games, mix them together, and add my own twist. It wouldn't be a Half-Life fic without the obligatory crowbar bludgeoning, crawling through sewers and vents, gravity gun poundings, and nerdy science moments. And it wouldn't be a Mass Effect fic without one (or more) of Shepard's signature speeches, his charm/intimidate interrupts, conversations and romances in between missions, and him being an utter bad ass in the face of potential annihilation. So I can only hope that I've done both games, and both characters justice.

And so my friends, this story ends, but the saga continues... The reason I am writing this is because it recently occurred to me that not many of you may be aware of my plans for the future of this little crossed universe I've created. Most of you got the hint at a sequel at the end of Salvation... Yes, it's true – I have big plans for a sequel, which if everything goes well, will be even better than the first, by far. But there are a few stops along the way...

For those of you unaware... I'd like to introduce you to the concept of... **Salvation: The Series**. This is a proposed set of episodic short stories ultimately leading up to the sequel and final installment Salvation II: Project Prometheus. Most of these undertakings will be a collaborative effort between myself, ~Vadrigos and ~malovence. Two stellar writers in their own right who have graciously stepped forward to lend me their help, creativity, and expertise.

These stories will take place following the first story, and OUTSIDE of the Mass Effect 3 continuity, as Salvation was written and published before Mass Effect 3's release. That is not to say that some story elements, characters, and settings from Mass Effect 3 will not make their way into the stories.

**Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction** - Of course many of you here are familiar with Salvation. My own variant to Half-Life 3 and Mass Effect 3. Following the events of Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Mass Effect 2, this gripping tale sees the two greatest legendary heroes of all time joining forces in order to stop the most relentless enemy the galaxy has ever known... The story that starts it all...

**Episode I: The Taking of the Carmenta Illustria** - After a hard fought battle, a little rest and relaxation seems ages overdue. However the proud crew of the SR-2 Normandy is about to be crudely reminded that there is no rest for the wicked... This is the story already in progress. The follow-up to Salvation. For those of you who are only subscribed to story updates, and not author updates, the first six chapters of this story are already published. Check 'em out. And stay tuned for the rest!

**Episode II: The Lair of the Shadow Broker** - A slight re-imagining of the action packed Mass Effect 2 DLC. A dire message from one of Shepard's oldest and dearest friends plunges them into a treacherous search for the mysterious Shadow Broker...

**Episode III: Voices of a Distant Star** - From the imagination of ~Vadrigos aka Neodammarung the Destroyer comes a tale of mystery, secrets, and betrayal. Nearly two centuries after the Resonance Cascade, the Black Mesa Research Facility may indeed lie buried in ruins... But many of the secrets it kept now lie buried beyond the stars...

**Episode IV: Into the Aperture** - After a startling discovery, the crew of the SR-2 Normandy must embark on one final mission together. Because some technology was never meant to see the light of day... And some power was never meant to be weilded by mortal men...

**Salvation II: Project Prometheus **- In the years following the defeat of the Reapers, Dr. Freeman and Commander Shepard each settle down to quiet, civilized lives. But they soon find themselves plunged into chaos once more. Hunted by police, bounty hunters, mercenaries, and Spectres alike - they soon begin to unravel an insidious plot that threatens to do more devastation than the Reapers ever could...

This series will likely span over the next couple of years, but if all goes as planned - this will be a series that will rival the video games themselves. I want to bring you to the edge of your seat... Take your breath away... Give you goosebumps... And tug at your heartstrings...

So again friends... I thank you. Thank you for the reviews, for the feedback, for the words of praise, and delight. Salvation, though not extremely well-known and popular, has received virtually unanimously positive reviews. And its because of this that the story continues on.

I also invite all of you to check out my Deviantart page – espionagedb7 dot deviantart dot com. There you'll find some of my accompanying art work with a lot of the stories I release, including scenes, movie posters, and even my own made official trailer for the first Salvation. There's also a more updated version of the story posted there – I have to go back, and re-proofread the entire story, to polish it off a bit better.

I've got so many plans, and as I've said before, much of this will be a collaborative effort. I hope to see all of you following through until the end. Expect to see faces old and new from both game series. Some friendly... Others, not so much... So I welcome you... To The Salvation Saga... 


	46. Salvation - The Graphic Novel

**Another Word from the Author**

**Salvation: The Graphic Novel**

Well my friends, for those who may be interested, believe it or not, but we may be on the cusp of very soon seeing "Salvation: The Graphic Novel".

I have recently been in talks with a talented artist, who was looking for a compelling story to illustrate. I proposed Salvation to be that story, and he seemed very excited at the prospect. We've still been in discussion, but he seems very interested. So if all goes well, if things don't break down, and if he thinks my story is worthy - we should at some point in the near future, start seeing Salvation unfurl as a graphic adventure.

Now I have a lot of work to do, as I have to provide him with screenshots, environmental details, character profiles etc, as he's not too well versed in either game - but I've seen his work, it's very impressive, and I have faith in his abilities. And I am very grateful to him for even considering to do this. Not to mention how excited I am to see it!

Now all this could change. Nothing is set in stone. And he has the right to change his mind lol. But his DA page is: [incoum dot deviantart dot com] and his personal blog and portfolio is [www dot rgb-love dot net] - stop by. Add him to your watch. Show him your support of his art, and this idea :D And hopefully together, we can all soon enjoy the illustrated adventures of Gordon Freeman and Commander Shepard. (I mean, after all... we all know the written word can only go so far ;P)

So look for that in the future folks, and stay tuned!

Oh and P.S. Keep your fingers crossed!


End file.
